Question

A 35-year-old man, former Army sergeant, was involved in a multi-vehicle accident on a major highway. He was relatively unhurt, but witnessed several bodies strewn across the road immediately after the accident. This caused him to experience “flashbacks” from an active Army combat zone several years earlier. He begins to have nightmares of the accident and becomes unable to function at home. His wife accompanies him to a Crisis Unit where he is subsequently admitted to the Mental Health Unit of a local hospital with a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Initial Discussion Post:

Address the following:

• What are the most important factors for the RN to assess when dealing with a client who is exhibiting flashbacks?
• How might the RN foster therapeutic communication with this client?
• List three common flashback triggers for former military personnel and describe how the RN can assist to decrease the effects.
• Provide two 3-part nursing diagnosis statements that might apply to former military personnel experiencing flashbacks. Each statement must include an actual NANDA-I nursing diagnosis, a related factor, and “as evidenced by.” (No risk-for diagnoses permitted.)

Answer 1

Post-Traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder can develop once exposed to the event like actual,threatened or perceived death or injury which results in significant psychological trauma..
**As a nurse we must understand the patient mechanism of fear effective..be as a good listener..
Treatement plan when helping with PTSD patients:
Image rehearsal therapy:
   -advice patient to write down everything they can remember about the falshback and nightmares..ask him to corelate his flashback and dream..Advice to patient write everything detailed about his sensitive feelings,this help patient to overcome the feelings of helplessness..
Cognitive therapy:
   -It helps patient to express his thoughts,feelings and behaviour. it will be useful to change his negative thoughts and it can lead them in healthier and happier lives..
-relaxation technique can be helpful to offset the panic..observe patient fear,depression,anxiety level and deal with the patient according to PTSD symptoms..
**RN foster therapeutic communication:
   It is very common for PTSD with psychological symptoms they can have a neurological behaviour..therapeutic management can help with this symptoms
-Massage therapy can be applied to promote relax and receive..
-commitment between therapist and patient can improve client wellness by caring,safe environment,healing and for treatment plan..It is important factors for therapeutic realtionship.
-Polarity therapy by energy-based approach is is used for patient safety and realtionship to manage stress and trauma..
-therapeutic touch(TT) is a healing practices to restore patients health and well-being..it improve patients relaxation response..
-Myofascial release this thechnique can be given with skilled therapist by holds and unminds tissue tensions,memories due to trauma..When body relaxes and fascial restrictions release it remove tensions and restore normal functions..
-skilled massge therapist can accompany with patient to help restore their needs with therapeutic relationship,patient can recover from re-emerge from the wounds of trauma..
**Military personnal triggering flash back with three main factors like
-Loud noise can make them to get back to their past moment
-smell like hard or some blood smell can make them to go back to their past
-sight or some places from television can bring all the moment..
Nursing intervention to remove the effects:
   -avoid isolation or substance abuse and compulsive behaviour
-Provide emotional support and advive family to accompany with patient
-Provide devotional prayer or meditation to improve their convenience.
-avoid their powerless thoughts and encourage them with full power greater then ourselves
-Provide fearless moral intervention
-Provide spiritual support and example of people who recoved from the problem..
-avoid hyper vigilance kept the veteran alive
-It is unique challenge to bring back military personals removing harmful mental and physical effects during war time..