In: Nursing
Submit care plan using the nursing process
1) Provide a care plan for an inpatient who is on traction.
2) Provide a care plan for a patient in a cast: Day1-28
Traction commonly happen because of car accidents, falls or sports injuries. Nursing care of a patient with a fracture, whether casted or in traction, is based upon prevention of complications during healing. By performing an accurate nursing assessment on a regular basis, the nursing staff can manage the patient’s pain and prevent complications. On emergency trauma care basic include triage, assessment and maintaining airway, breathing, and circulation, protecting the cervical spine, and assessing the level of consciousness.
Nursing intervention:
1) Maintain bed rest or limb rest as indicated. Provide support of joints above and below fracture site, especially when moving and turning.
2) Secure a bedboard under the mattress or place patient on orthopedic bed.
3) Observe and evaluate splinted extremity for resolution of edema.
4) Maintain position or integrity of traction.
5) Provides stability, reducing possibility of disturbing alignment and muscle spasms, which enhances healing.
6) Provides visual evidence of proper alignment or beginning callus formation and healing process to determine level of activity and need for changes in or additional therapy.
Care plan:
Day1 to 7: Soft or sagging mattress may deform a wet (green) plaster cast, crack a dry cast, or interfere with pull of traction. So, there must be comfort level for the pateint. No movement should be allowed for the pateint.
Day7 to 14: Review restrictions imposed by therapy such as not bending at waist and sitting up with Buck traction or not turning below the waist with Russell traction.This will maintain the integrity of pull of traction. X-Ray report should be rewievedon the14th day.
Day14 to 21: Assessment of integrity of external fixation device. And routine checkup for the pateint.
Day21-28: Initiate or maintain electrical stimulation if used, May be indicated to promote bone growth in presence of delayed healing or nonunion.