Nursing
Write a detailed one-page narrative (not a formal paper) explaining the health assessment information required for a diagnosis of your selected patient (include the scenario number). Explain how you would respond to the scenario as an advanced practice nurse using evidence-based practice guidelines and applying ethical considerations. Justify your response using at least three different references from current evidence-based literature
ANSWER
Crohn’s Disease
Last names M – R
A 27-year-old man with Crohn’s disease has been admitted to the emergency room with an extreme flare-up of his condition. He explains that he has not been able to afford his medications for the last few months and is concerned about the costs he may incur for treatment.
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation of the digestive tract, leading to abdominal pain; severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, and disease can be both painful and deliberating and may lead to life-threatening complications (“Crohn’s disease – Symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic.,” 2020). This disease’s exact cause remains unknown, but stress and Diet are the leading cause of aggregates base disease, but they do not cause Crohn’s disease. However, other factors such as malfunctioning the immune system and heredity are likely to play a role in developing the disease. According to Holland, (2020) the immune system, virus and bacteria has tendency to trigger Crohn’s disease. It is because genes may also make people more susceptible to Crohn’s disease, especially where this disease is common among family members.
Concerning this case scenario, 27 years old, who is worried about his medical bills and has not taken his treatment, is heartbreaking. They are likely that stress could be the key contributor to his Crohn’s disease condition. Therefore, I would assure him that I will talk with the hospital management to find an affordable solution for his treatment. I would also assure the patient that he should be more worried about his health paying less attention to his medical bills as they are a charitable organization that he could apply to an appeal for help as well as they are well-wishers that would be willing to help him with his condition other than stressing himself up with medical bills that are beyond his reach. Besides, a problem shared is a problem solved, so if a patient is sharing his worries it will reduce his stress making him less vulnerable to Crohn’s disease.
That is, I will discuss his condition with the care coordinator in our department to find different sources to help him with his cost of treatment. After reducing my patience level of stress by ensuring him that my department will find means to cover his medical bills, I would then discuss his current medical problem and see if it is a flare-up of Crohn’s or it is a different gastrointestinal issue. To determine if it’s a different gastrointestinal issue, I would ask the following questions;
I would ask the patient to describe his symptoms when they started, and if anything, I would ask the patient if the symptoms are becoming worse or better. From the fact that we know that the patient has not been taking his medication because he can’t afford them, I would inquire from the patient if there is any other medication he is taking. I will inquire from the patient if there are other medical problems that he might be suffering from and his family history to determine if his condition is a result of heredity or stress in dieting. As outlined earlier or stress and Diet are the primary triggers for this disease. Therefore, I would inquire from the patient his dieting and his lifestyle behavior without overstepping my boundaries to ensure that my patient feel safe making him feel free to trust me. Understanding my patient dieting will enable me to know the type of food he eats and determine if it could the cause of trigger to his Crohn’s diseases. Lifestyle choices and decision can also play a role in enhance our health, however some lifestyles such as excess drinking and smoking causes harm to once health (“Crohn’s Disease. WebMD.”2020). Hence I would enquire if he is a smoker because smoking is another trigger to Crohn’s disease.
Reference
Crohn’s disease – Symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic. (2020). Retrieved 10 November 2020, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/crohns-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20353304#:~:text=Crohn’s%20disease%20is%20a%20type,digestive%20tract%20in%20different%20people.
Crohn’s Disease. WebMD. (2020). Retrieved 11 November 2020, from https://www.webmd.com/ibd-crohns-disease/crohns-disease/digestive-diseases-crohns-disease.
Holland, K. (2020). Crohn’s Disease: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and More. Healthline. Retrieved 11 November 2020, from https://www.healthline.com/health/crohns-disease#causes.
