Nursing Intervention 3: Effective Coping with chronic Diseases

Mr. Paul reason for seeking medical attention is because he felt sudden headache, confusion, loss of balance and numbness which are signs of stroke. His client history also shows that he suffered stroke previously. The outcome of this intervention is to enable Mr. Paul to effectively cope with some of these chronic diseases. 

The nurse should discuss with the patient on his perceived effect of the diabetics conditions in his lifestyle, the financial implications , family life and the work place. Walsh (1996) note that the nurse should then explore the previous coping strategies if any, and any skills that have had positive effects on the particular patient. The nurse should further encourage the patient to be actively involved with family matters and encourage the entire family to actively support a diabetes self care program to foster the patience confidence. The patient will gain confidence and boost of personal esteem if immediate family members become and active part and take good care of him in the fight against diabetes. The purpose of this all inclusive approach is to help the patient feel accepted in the society and his immediate family regardless of his condition. The family support helps to reduce stress on the patient and this have a long positive effect in coping strategies.

The nurse may also identify any available support groups that can assist the patient in his attempts of lifestyle adaptation. For instance, the nurse will advise the patient against alcohol and smoking. It is a good and a positive step if the patient is introduced to support groups that offer counseling and training to ex- alcoholics ad those people who want to stop smoking. This will make the patient have an easy time in changing behaviors and adapting to a new lifestyle that is free of alcohol and cigarettes. The nurse may also consider assisting the family personally in providing emotional care and support to the patient. The nurse will always be in direct contact with the patient and she understands best the importance of emotional care. This she can share and instill it in other family members of the patient.

Evaluation

The most effective measure of achievement in this intervention is to check if the patient can verbalize the strategies that are being applied for coping with diabetes. It is also good to consider the patient's response to the strategies and the general impact of their application on the support groups and the immediate family. The nurse should ensure that the responses of this intervention are achieving the goals in the short term and in the long run.

Conclusion

A nursing care plan is a very important part of the nursing process. A nursing plan specifically allows the nurse to diagnose health problems and issues and come up with goals to overcome the problems. A care plan becomes part of the patient's chart and it allows every nurse and doctor and other specialists involved with the patient to monitor the progress and identify potential risks to the health of the patient.

A good care plan should not only treat the physical problem. It should be designed in a holistic approach tat ensures that the emotional needs of the patient that are usually occasioned by the treatment are also taken care of. A nurse should look for any sign of emotional disorientation and the self esteem of the patient and include it in he care plan

References

American Diabetes Association. (2008). Standards of medical care in diabetes 2008. Diabetes Care. 31(Suppl 1):12-54.

Benner P. (1984). From Novice to Expert. London :Addison-Wesley