Nursing Blog

Medical Equipments: Medication Administration Record (MAR) Cotton-tipped Applicator Cotton Balls Medications Non-sterile gloves Tissue Nursing Procedures: Determine the allergies for any medication Check the written order on MAR Wash hand Calculate the dose Identify patient’s armband Explain the procedure to the patient Place patient in a side lying position with the affected ear facing up Don non-sterile gloves Straighten the ear canal by pulling the pinna down and back for children or upward and outward for adults The drops are instilled into the ear canal by holding the dropper at least ½ inch above the ear canal Instruct patient to maintain the position for 2-3 minutes Place a cotton ball n the outermost part of the canal Wash hand Record the drug, number of drops, time administered, and medication on MAR

Medical Equipments: Medication Administration Record (MAR) Medication with Dropper Emesis Basin (optional) Non-sterile Gloves Tissue Nursing Actions: Check the allergies that patient may have Determine the written order on MAR Wash hands Check patient’s identification armband Explain the procedures to the patient and provide privacy Ask patient to blow nose unless contraindicated Inform the patient that he/she may feel a burning sensation to the mucosa or a choking sensation, or both, as the drop trickles back into the throat Place patient in a supine position and hyperextend the neck and position the head to the site that facilitates the drop reaching the expected site Instruct the patient to breathe through mouth Squeeze medications into the dropper Insert the nasal drops about 3/8 inch into nostril and keep the tip of the dropper away from the sides of the nares. Instill the medication as prescribed and observe for signs and discomforts Ask the patient to maintain supine position fo

Rectal Suppository Administration Medical Equipments: Medication Administration Record (MAR) Prescribed Rectal suppository Water Soluble Lubricant (K-Y Jelly) Non-sterile Gloves Tissue Bedpan (as optional) Nursing Procedures: Identify any allergies that patient has Gather necessary equipments Determine the written order on MAR Wash your hands Check the patient’s identification As patient if she or he wants to void Explain the procedure to the patient briefly Don non sterile gloves Place patient in the Sim’s left lateral position with the upper leg flexed Open the package of lubricant and remove the foil wrapper from the suppository Apply a small amount of lubricant to the smooth rounded end of the suppository Lubricate the gloved index finger Ask the patient to breathe through the mouth Insert the suppository into the rectal canal beyond the internal sphincter about 4 inches for an adult and 2 inches for a child Avoid inserting the suppository into feces Withdraw the finger and wipe th

The First Step in Managing Allergies -- Create an allergen-free home and learn what triggers to avoid prevent and ease attacks -- All allergy practitioners -- from the most conservative to the most alternative--agree that environmental control should be your first "treatment." After all, it's natural, safe, and extremely effective. "The very best preventive measures are those that get the patient away from the cause of the problem," says Betty Wray, M.D., interim dean of the School of Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta and a past president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. "All the medications we give help blunt the response, but they don't do away with the problem." Environmental control isn't the same as "running away" from your current environment. In most cases, moving to a new climate such as the mountains or beach is an exercise in futility. "Some people even move to different par

Allergy - Proof Your Yard - The source of your sneezes may be right outside your window - A pair of towering male junipers once flanked the door to historian Dan Krieger's home office in San Luis Obispo, CA. The blue-green boughs extended 20 feet in the air -- and, unbeknownst to Krieger, silently released clouds of sneeze - provoking pollen. "I felt terrible," he says. "I took lots of antihistamines while working in my office. But I never suspected those trees." Krieger's brother-in-law, the well-known horticulturalist Thomas Ogren, did. He persuaded Krieger to replace the male junipers with yew and other low-allergy alternatives--with dramatic effect. "I feel great now," says Krieger, a professor at California Polytechnic State University. "I don't sneeze or need antihistamines, and I'm more productive." Ogren, who has a master's degree in agricultural science and is the author of Allergy-Free Gardening and a related book, S

Are Your Allergies Making You Fat? — Allergy medications may interfere with your appetite and your energy levels. Here's how to keep allergy season from derailing your diet — Allergy season is upon us, and the record pollen levels we're experiencing this year may have you heading to the allergy relief aisle at your local drugstore. But what you take to alleviate your symptoms could have unpleasant side effects on your waistline. Researchers have suggested that allergies and weight gain go hand in hand, and that could have to do with the drugs you take or more subtle underlying problems. THE DETAILS: In August 2010, researchers from Yale University published a study in the journal Obesity finding that people who took antihistamines regularly were heavier than people who didn't take them at all. The study's authors used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005–2006 to compare the body

Five Solutions to Thrive Under Stress — New research on soldiers shows how damaging stress can be — and reveals 5 powerful tools that can help us all build resilience I’m married to to a full-time soldier, so few things get my attention like a headline about post-traumatic stress disorder. I’ve been riveted by the recent surge in PTSD research spurred not just by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but also by terrorism and natural disasters. Government institutions, military hospitals, and universities have all stepped up efforts to understand this anxiety disorder, teasing out what makes some people vulnerable and others resilient, as well as how the brain can heal. What they’re discovering about PTSD is yielding important insights into how the rest of us can manage the moderate stress we deal with every day. Key to the recent breakthroughs is a much clearer picture of how destructive stress can be. Persistent anxiety can kill neurons in brain structures concerned with memory and decisi