Question

• Patient reaction to hospitalization; signs and symptoms for each age group/developmental stage

• Nursing interventions to reduce anxiety r/t hospital admission

• Admission Assessments; Delegation of tasks

Answer 1

Patient Reaction To Hospitalization:

Patient responses to hospitalization are depended upon the level of illness and coping mechanism of an individual patient. The patients should understand the situation properly and manage them effectively. The healthcare professionals should have a good relationship with the patient in response to the behaviour of the patients. Repeated illness, serious of illness and developmental age should also be considered.

Fear:

One of the emotional responses of the patient to the hospitalization. The patients worried about the danger of future and feel threatened by the situation. It also leads to tachycardia, perspiration, and high BP.

Stress: The patient disturbs by both physically and psychologically and tries to rid off of the situation. The patient was unable to adjust to the new environment.

Anxiety: The patient feels anxious due to the unknown cause of the illness and feels uneasiness. It leads to insomnia, fatigue, nausea etc.

Signs and symptoms for each age group:

• 0-6 months = Continuous crying.
• 6-12 months = uncooperative and resistance to the situation.
• 1-3 Years = Behaves aggressively during hospitalization.
• 3-5 Years = Abuse verbally and fear of punishment and death.
• 5-12 Years = Feels disable, and unable to describe the fear.
• more than 12 Years = continuous questioning about the condition, needs privacy.

Nursing interventions to reduce anxiety r/t hospital admission.

• Assess the behaviour pattern of the patient.
• Encourage to express his feelings.
• Develop therapeutic communication with the patient to reduce the anxiety.
• Make the environment comfort and noise free.
• Provide spiritual support.
• Provide appropriate toys to the child.
• Provide support to the family members.

Nursing Assessment; Delegation of Tasks:

Assessment is the important part of the nursing process. It provides background information of the patient/child and the family. The assessment depends on the chronological age and the level of development and on the type of examination to be done. The nurse has to maintain a cooperative participation from the patient/child and from the family.

The nurse may delegate some aspects to the practical nurse, or the student nurse. Once the assessment is done, then plan for the nursing care plan. The nurse also takes care of the safe environment and supports the patient's responses to the anxiety, loneliness, privacy and fear.