Discussion 4 (Vitamins)

Vitamins are energy building nutrients that contribute to sound nutritional health. Water, on the other hand, is responsible for carrying necessary nutrients and removing waste products throughout our body. A human body is made out of mostly water and is critical to our health. Similarly, minerals and electrolytes are essential to human health and can be obtained in our diet from different foods. When humans are too sick to consume a regular diet, digestion and absorption may impact the supply of necessary nutrients, requiring specialized nutritional support to meet their nutritional needs.

After studying 

Module 4: Lecture Materials & Resources
, read the case study and answer the prompts:

Sharyn Bartell is a 24-year-old student who suffered multiple fractures when she fell from a cliff when hiking. As a result of the accident, she is immobile, in traction, and had a small bowel resection. She is able to keep her head up to 45 degrees. Sharyn used to weigh 140 pounds but has lost 8 pounds since the accident. The healthcare team agrees that Sharyn will need a feeding tube before her nutritional status deteriorates any further.

1. Navigate the web, research a high protein formula that can be administered via feeding tube and share 1) name of formula, 2) nutrient composition, and 3) indications for use.

2. Navigate to the Oley Foundation: 

Dietary Recommendations for Patients with Intestinal Failure – Oley FoundationLinks to an external site.
, read “Physiological Considerations” and discuss in at least one paragraph with two (2) effects of the small bowel resection on Sharyn’s fluid and electrolyte balance.

3. Navigate to the Oley Foundation: 

Living with Enteral Feeds – Oley FoundationLinks to an external site.
 and provide two (2) physical or psychosocial adjustments Sharyn will have to make when living with a feeding tube.

Discussion 5 (Nutrients)

All people need the same nutrients, but the amounts will vary depending on their stage in life such as infants, children, adolescents, pregnancy, adults, and older adults. For example, a pregnant woman will need to make sure she has a proper diet before, during, and after the pregnancy. A poor diet before and during the pregnancy may affect the health and development of her infant. She will also need to make sure and maintain a nutritionally balanced diet after the pregnancy, especially if she plans to breastfeed her infant.

After studying 

Module 5: Lecture Materials & Resources
, answer the following:

1. Review figure 10-3 Comparison of Selected Nutrient Recommendations for Nonpregnant, Pregnant, and Lactating Women in text and compare the recommended percent allowances for:

A. Iron – Who (nonpregnant, pregnant, lactating) needs it more and why?

2. Ellen is an 18-year-old single mother of a six-month infant; she works at a convenience store and makes minimum wage. Ellen has limited financial means and needs assistance. Navigate to Floridahealth.gov: 

https://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/wic/wic-program-info.htmlLinks to an external site.
 and share at least two (3) examples of how food assistance programs can help Ellen’s infant and one (1) example of why nutrition is important for an infant – provide a full paragraph.

3. Miguel is a 75-year older adult and has been diagnosed with early macular degeneration. Explain what macular degeneration is and share 2 vitamins or minerals that help reduce progression of the disease.

 

Discussion 6 (Chronic Disease)

 According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2023), six out of ten adults in the United States have at least one chronic disease, and about four in ten have two or more chronic diseases. Chronic diseases include cardiovascular conditions, cancers, diabetes mellitus, and Alzheimer’s. Diet is a lifestyle factor that affects the development of many chronic conditions and even some neurological diseases.

After studying 

Module 6: Lecture Materials & Resources
, read the case study and answer the following:

Lenora is a 57-year-old Jamaican American female who works as a desk clerk. Her job requires her to sit all day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., then she drives for one hour to go home. She lives alone in a studio apartment. By the time she gets home, she is tired and barely has time to pick up some fast food. She was recently diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes type 2. She is 5’ 5” tall and weighs 180 pounds with a BMI of 30.1. Her blood pressure was 150/105 and her HbA1C of 7.5%. The healthcare team starts Lenora on atenolol (Tenormin) for her hypertension and metformin (Glucophage) for her diabetes.

References: Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). 
About chronic diseases. https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/about/index.htm#risks

In paragraph form:

1. Provide at least two (2) complications of uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes.

2. Provide at least two (2) risk factors that may contribute to Lenora’s development of hypertension (see Appendix J: Body Mass Index (BMI) of your textbook)

3. Describe what is HbA1C and how is it used to monitor diabetes? (see Chapter 20, page 564 of your textbook).

4. Discuss what dietary counseling will Lenora need to control her hypertension and diabetes? Provide at least two (2) examples.

 

Discussion 7 (Cancers & HIV)

While cancers and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are different diseases, they both have debilitating effects that influence nutritional needs – and if nutritional needs are not met, both advanced stages of cancer and HIV can lead to severe body wasting. Cancer and HIV require highly individualized nutrition therapy.

After studying 

Module 7: Lecture Materials & Resources
, answer the following:

Navigate to HIVinfo by the NIH.gov: 

https://hivinfo.nih.gov/understanding-hiv/fact-sheets/hiv-and-nutrition-and-food-safetyLinks to an external site.
 – read the webpage and scroll to Healthy Living with HIV.

1. Describe how foods may affect HIV treatment (provide at least 2 examples).

2. Explain how to prevent opportunistic infections through their diet in people living with HIV.

3. Describe the type of cancer frequently associated with HIV and explain how this cancer’s symptoms may cause anorexia on those with HIV (see page 663 in your textbook).

Respond to Kaffy

Ensuring accurate and confidential documentation in nursing is crucial for patient care, legal compliance, and maintaining the integrity of healthcare records. However, nurses face several challenges in achieving this goal. Three prominent challenges include workload, knowledge, and complex documentation systems.

Firstly, nurses often contend with heavy workloads that can make it challenging to dedicate sufficient time to accurate and complete documentation. The demands of patient care, frequent interruptions, and the need to juggle multiple tasks can sometimes hinder their ability to maintain comprehensive records (Cimino, 2013).

Secondly, nurses need to possess a deep understanding of documentation policies, procedures, and the legal implications of inaccuracies or omissions in their records. Knowledge gaps in these areas can result in documentation errors that compromise patient care and expose healthcare facilities to legal risks (Cimino, 2013).

Thirdly, the documentation systems that nurses use can be complex and not always user-friendly. Navigating these systems effectively requires training and familiarity, and any difficulties in system operation can affect the accuracy and confidentiality of documentation (Cimino, 2013).

To overcome these challenges, nurses can take proactive steps:

Workload Management: Nurses can prioritize their documentation tasks and seek opportunities to delegate tasks when possible. Utilizing informatics tools can help automate certain documentation processes, alleviating some of the time constraints (American Nurses Association, 2020).

Knowledge Enhancement: Nurses should seek out training programs related to documentation policies, procedures, and legal implications. They can also collaborate with colleagues or healthcare professionals for guidance and clarification on documentation-related queries.

System Proficiency: To tackle the complexities of documentation systems, nurses should invest time in learning how to use them effectively. They can also report any system-related issues to their supervisors, advocating for improvements where necessary (American Nurses Association, 2020).

The integration of informatics into nursing practice can play a transformative role in addressing these challenges. Informatics tools can:

Automate Documentation: By automating routine documentation tasks like generating nursing notes or medication administration records, informatics can significantly reduce the time burden on nurses, allowing them to allocate more focus to patient care.

Provide Alerts and Reminders: Informatics systems can offer real-time alerts and reminders, ensuring that nurses complete documentation tasks in a timely and accurate manner. These cues can be invaluable in preventing oversights (American Nurses Association, 2020).

In summary, informatics offers a multifaceted solution to the challenges nurses face in documentation. By automating tasks, providing reminders, improving data access, and enhancing security, it empowers nurses to deliver more accurate, complete, and confidential documentation while mitigating the obstacles presented by workload, knowledge, and complex systems.

References

Nursing Documentation and Informatics: A Core Competency for Nurses. (2020). American Nurses Association

Cimino, J. J. (2013). Nursing Documentation: Informatics for the 21st Century. (4th ed.).

Respond to Muni

1.Data Accuracy and Completeness: 

Maintaining the accuracy and completeness of patient information is one of the biggest issues in nursing documentation. The many duties that nurses must complete may cause them to forget to record important patient information or cause mistakes. Keeping the record updated in real-time may also be difficult if the patient's health changes quickly.

Strong observational and documenting abilities would be needed to overcome this difficulty. Peer evaluations, training workshops, and regular audits of medical records can all be beneficial. Electronic health record (EHR) solutions offered by informatics can significantly contribute to the reduction of errors by automatically recording and updating some patient data (such as vital signs from connected monitors).

2.Confidentiality and Privacy: 

Maintaining patient data security In nursing practice, confidentiality is essential. However, problems might occur as a result of unauthorized access, data breaches, or even an inadvertent disclosure of private information during normal conversations.

Nurses can avoid this by properly following HIPAA rules and upholding their professional limits. Staff members should receive comprehensive cybersecurity training and should only access patient data when necessary. Data security can be strengthened with the use of informatics systems like EHRs, which can assist with access controls, encryption, and audit trails to trace who is accessing data.

3.Time Constraints: 

Due to their busy schedules and time constraints, nurses may struggle to accurately and swiftly record patient information. As a result, there can be a delay in recording or inaccurate data.

This challenge can be lessened with good time management techniques and delegating when appropriate. Informatics is involved once again in this situation. Technologies like speech-to-text software and electronic health records (EHRs) help speed up the documentation process and note-taking. Nurses can document data at the point of care more quickly with the use of mobile devices.

Keep in mind to comment on other entries and offer helpful criticism. To improve our collective nursing practice, we may all benefit from exchanging real-world experiences and solutions.

REFERENCE

· https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6111626/

· https://bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13104-019-4661-x

· https://www.nuance.com/asset/en_uk/collateral/healthcare/ebook/eb-nuance-nurse-clindoc-screen.pdf

· https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomp.2021.624555/full

According to ANA, no single staffing model—patient acuity, budget-based, or nurse-patient ratio—is best for all settings and situations. Most organizations use a combination of methods and tailor the overall staffing approach to their specific needs. 

Respond to at least 1 of the following prompts:

1. What staffing model is implemented at the facility where you work?  What would you recommend for modifying the staffing model where you work, what is you recommendation based on and how would you implement the change?  (Support your thoughts/ideas with academic literature OR required readings) 

2. There are in existence nursing-sensitive indicators affected by staffing.  Can you suggest another nursing-sensitive indicator not being measured that might affect staffing?  What would be the indicator and how would you measure the indicator?  (Support your thoughts/ideas with academic literature OR required readings) 

3. Understanding others’ roles provides insight into who can best perform a particular task and how it could be redesigned to be more efficient and effective. How would delegation have a positive effect on staffing?  (Support your thoughts/ideas with academic literature OR required readings) .  Please look at the Florida Nurse Practice Act to verify what roles the RN MUST perform by law. 

PLEASE FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS

Give 2 examples (1 negative, 1 positive) of how you feel the impact the disappearing borders is impacting world health.