Question

Case Study: Miss Anna Star is a 26-year-old patient that has been admitted to the urgent care with acute abdominal pain and diarrhea. She reports no past medical history of disease or abdominal problems. She states she has no allergies and does not take any daily medications. She states that she did take Pepto Bismol when yesterday when the pain started but it did not help, which is why she came into the urgent care facility. She states she is a non-smoker and lives alone with her newly adopted cat. She attended a party the night before her admission where there were quite a few people smoking and drinking. She states that she did eat a “few of the snacks” at the party.

1. What additional information should the nurse collect from the client during the interview?

2. What factors could be associated with the onset of abdominal pain and diarrhea that Miss Star is experiencing?

3. What equipment is required to conduct your assessment of Miss Star?

4. Describe how you would perform a detailed abdominal and nutritional assessment on Miss Star. What findings would you expect to observe/hear?

5. Describe 3 abnormal findings that would indicate that Miss Star is experiencing gastroenteritis.

6. Discuss the benefits of a implementing a bland diet for a client who is experiencing gastroenteritis. Use current literature.

7. Describe education you would give to Miss Star about how to prevent similar problems in the future and how to manage the pain she is currently experiencing.

8. Discuss how you would assess that the treatments are working.

9. What health promotion education would you provide to Miss Star to maintain optimal health of her gastrointestinal system?

Answer 1

Assess the general health status of the patient ,take history regarding the food habits of patient and what type of food she had taken in the last night,onset of symptoms.

She is experiencing gastroenteritis,is an intestinal infection in which patient have cramps,nausea,vomiting,diarrhoea,fever.Also called stomach flu.

She have abdominal cramps,diarrhoea and nausea.She states she had pepto bismol,antacid used to treat nausea,stomach cramps.

Take blood pressure, pulse,temperature of the patient to check for fever and hydration status,color of the urine and amount,lab test if prescribed.(tools needed are BP apparatus,thermometer,weighing machine,inch tape,stethoscope ,pen torch).

Check the intensity of gastric problems. Take nutritional history of the patient,what type of food she eat daily,medical history,daily dietary intake and previous gastric problems .

Educate her about the benefits of bland diet ,for the proper balancing of electrolytes in our body such as sodium,pottassium and for better digestion thus prevents stomach irritation.

Educate her the importance of maintaining proper nutritional status in our lifestyle and the hygienic practices we should do to prevent diseases,correct regimen of food intake.

Provide all prescribed care to the patient and assess the health status periodically.Make sure she is improving.

Advice her to avoid gastric irritated food habits such as caffeinated foods, diary products, alcohol,too spicy and too hot foods,carbonated drinks.

Consider food that are easily digest,bland diet,eat vegetables,fruits,rice,banana,toast,crackers.

Packaged foods,soup and fried fatty foods should avoid.

Promote comfort to relieve anxiety regarding the disease.