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Acute Abdominal Pain -- Assessment
Nurses are very often the first medical aid providers that most patients see. In today's interprofessional healthcare set up, a nurse's approach in collecting a patient's history and diagnosing if the pain is acute or non-acute would assuredly help in providing the patient with appropriate treatment. It is therefore primary that nurses be fully equipped to diagnose the various ailments and start on the care to be provided. Nurses are also the first information gatherers and it is vital that they acquire the patient's past medical history. The importance of a structured approach in gathering this information is very vital as it forms the basis of analysis and also influences the care provided. Abdominal pain is one of the most common ailments that people complain of and seek medical care for. In most cases the pain's primary cause of pain may be ascertained almost immediately but on certain occasions, it is essential to correlate the pain with the patient's history and physiological examination.
70% of the time, a patient's history can give the nurse a fair idea of what the problem could be. (Birkitt and Quick 2002, Talley and O'Connor 2006). This theory however works only if the nurse has taken meticulous care in the compilation of the history. To be able to assess...
When the nurse is able to collate pertinent facts regarding patient history, the reason for the abdominal pain may be deciphered and it would be possible to discuss the optimal treatment with the patient. Nurses would have to know about the organs that could be responsible for the abdominal pain as well as which other organs might be affected because of the pain. For this the anatomy and physiology of the abdominal cavity is primary.
The abdominal cavity houses, the stomach, liver, spleen, pancreas, gall bladder, kidneys, small intestine and large intestine. Some of the abdominal organs are also housed in the pelvis: the bladder, caecum, sigmoid colon, appendix, rectum and female reproductive organs. To assist in clinical analysis, the abdominal cavity is sectioned into four quadrants: the right upper quadrant, the left upper quadrant, the right lower quadrant and the left lower quadrant. When a patient is able to identify the pain as being localized in any of the quadrants, knowledge of the same will help in providing care instantly. Within the right upper quadrant are the gall bladder, duodenum, the right lobe of the liver, head of the pancreas and…
Biliary Colic: Biliary colic is a result of intermittent cystic duct or bile duct obstruction caused by gall stones. Typically affecting overweight women, pain in this case is usually colicky and localized in the right upper quadrant and in the epigastrium radiating towards the back. Vomiting is an associated symptom and the onset of pain is sudden and severe and it resolves as fast and spontaneously or after administering opiate analgesic.
Bowel Obstruction: Both the large and small intestines can get obstructed. Large intestine obstruction is caused by impacted faeces, tumors or volvulus (a case of the intestine twisting around itself). Obstructions in the small intestines are largely due to Crohn's disease, tumors, swallowed foreign objects or adhesions (Longmore et al. 2004.)The patient may experience colicky pain, vomiting, and will display a distended abdomen. It is also possible that some patients may become constipated as they might not be able to pass stools or gas due to the obstruction (Longmore et al. 2004). An X-ray can display the accurate position of the obstruction and help in finding speedy care.
Cholecystitis: An acute or chronic inflammation of the gall bladder, this is predominantly caused by
Patients need to be taught how to use a pain intensity rating scale and encouraged to ask for medication before the pain becomes too intense. Nurses must also discuss non-drug pain management techniques such as repositioning and avoiding quick movements. Pain medication should be administered as ordered, and monitor for its effectiveness. Patient's vital signs should be monitored with special attention given to signs of perforation. I.V fluids and
The appendiceal carcinoid tumor is usually innocuous (Kulke & Mayer, 1999). A small tumor, it is often found by accident when the appendix is removed for some other reason. It can, however, contribute to acute appendicitis in rare cases, such as what took place in this case. It is diagnoses in females more frequently than males, but it is believed to be equally prevalent in both sexes (Kulke &
Initial tests may be culdocentesis, hematocrit, a pregnancy test, a qualitative HCG blood test, a transvaginal ultrasound or pregnancy ultrasound and a white blood count test. An ectopic pregnancy can be distinguished from a normal intrauterine pregnancy through a rise in quantitative HCG levels. Declining B-hCG levels is indicative of an ectopic pregnancy (Kulp & Barnhart 2008). AD & C, laparoscopy and laparotomy tests will confirm the diagnosis (Chen). An
Medical Misdiagnosis: Criminal ImplicationsPhysicians are placed in a position of great trust as experts. This is one of the many reasons that the issue incites such strong feelings in the public, regarding how the law penalizes and addresses issues pertaining to medical misdiagnosis. Many medical diseases are so-called great pretenders, especially in their early stages. For example, chest pains may be the result of anxiety or a heart attack. In
Advanced Health Assessment: Ulcerative Colitis PatientThe client is a 47-year-old male ulcerative colitis (UC) patient admitted to the emergency room with extreme abdominal pain. He does not have prescription or medical insurance and has not taken his medication for several months.Relevant Additional Subjective InformationSources contend that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients are often embarrassed to discuss their symptoms with their physicians or nurses (Hibi et al., 2020). To optimize individual
Nurses and Abdominal Pain Patient Care The people that make up a medical setting contribute immensely and provide the professional care they know to patients who visit the place, whether it's a clinic or a hospital. When the patient first walks in, he or she will meet the desk clerk and other people who will help her get settled in. However, none are the most important when it comes to first