fracture nursing assignment help

fracture nursing assignment help

Fracture Nursing Assignment Help

1. Introduction to Fracture Nursing

In fracture nursing, we will study the general principles of the management of fractures and use them to discuss the care of patients with specific fractures in a variety of common locations.

There is a whole range of different outcomes for patients who sustain fractures, and it is essential to recognize that the effect of a fracture not only depends on the type, site, and complexity of the injury but also reflects the influence of factors such as age, lifestyle, and any underlying health issues. While some fractures can be managed with simple intervention and treatment and are diagnosed in primary care, other cases, particularly those who suffer from serious multiple injuries, need quick action and treatment provided in the hospital by a range of healthcare professionals.

Nursing care of patients with fractures and emergency orthopedic conditions has undergone changes in the last decade. Advanced practice for nurses in emergency care, the growth of emergency nurse practitioners, and research into biological factors involved in fractures and their repair have had a positive impact on the way nurses provide evidence-based care to patients. Modern nurses use the latest developments and can better employ evidence-based nursing and the interface of clinical and laboratory studies in fracture healing. This would facilitate and support clinical exercises and technical simulations to develop a deep understanding of the complexities of nursing care and how patient outcomes can be improved.

Nursing plays a significant role in the management of patients with fractures. Fracture nursing can be recognized as part of trauma and orthopedics, and it involves the care of patients of all ages who have sustained the injury and have a fracture of one or more bones in their body. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), and other authoritative bodies have published information and guidelines to support good nursing care of patients with fractures and to assist all health professionals in improving the quality of services. It is important to grasp the scope of the care, to share and explore the evidence base for nursing practice, and to develop the evaluative, self-analytical, and critical skills needed to provide sound clinical justification for nursing interventions and professional development.

2. Assessing Fracture Patients

To determine the type of fracture a patient may have, an “ABCDE” series of steps or prioritization is first conducted that includes airway, breathing, and circulation assessment and taking precautions to manage or remove any potential harmful conditions. However, all forms of fracture assessment should generally begin taking a holistic and informed approach. Holistic care is a consideration of the physical, psycho-social, and emotional needs of a patient rather than solely focusing on the symptoms of the disease. Nurses should understand that patients often present in distress and significant pain due to the trauma that results in a fractured bone. Pain management should be initiated and vital signs should be monitored. Neurovascular assessment is also a key aspect of the assessment and all health care professionals have a responsibility under common law to take action if they feel a patient is at risk. Nurses need to remember to ‘think neurovascular first’ when assessing a limb in order to fulfill the duty of care and respect the legal and ethical considerations related to the treatment of their patients. It is crucial that the nurse must constantly monitor and assess the 5 Ps of neurovascular assessment for a limb. These include assessment of the color, temperature, capillary refill time, the presence of peripheral pulses and sensation of the limb. Any deterioration or changes will need to be reported immediately. Nurses can use cognitive assessment skills as a way of gathering information to enable them to build a broader picture of the potential physiological and biomechanical consequences of the patient’s fracture. Critical reflection will help the nursing professional to continue to enhance and develop their skill set, ensuring that patients receive the most effective care.

3. Nursing Interventions for Fracture Management

In patients with fractures, the nurse’s goal during the acute stage of fracture management is to prevent complications. This includes maintaining the fracture hematoma and the patient’s alignment and mobility. The nurse uses a variety of accepted nursing interventions to achieve this goal, which will be discussed below. First and foremost, nursing assessment should be done including an immediate and careful assessment of the patient’s vital signs, physical condition, and the nature of the injury. The focused neurological, vascular, and cellular assessment is also important in nursing interventions for fracture management. Reduction of a fracture is the process of realigning and immobilizing the fractured bone. The nurse should also assist the physician in the application of immobilizing devices in order to maintain the proper body alignment and type of traction. Immobilization is used to maintain the realigned bone and promote healing. Casts, splints, and external fixation devices are examples of immobilizing devices. As movement of the fractured bone can exacerbate the fracture and cause additional tissue damage and bleeding, the nurse must supervise the patient to avoid excessive movement. The last nursing intervention discussed is the patient’s psychosocial reactions. The nurse must be aware as the trauma of suffering a fracture can have serious implications. For example, the nurse should be aware of a patient who may sue the hospital or physician. In psychology, this is a defense mechanism known as displacement and is recognized by nurses as an unconscious reaction to feelings of anger, mistrust, or fear. However, this does not imply that a lawsuit may not ever be warranted. The patient may feel a lack of control in their lives which has resulted in them being unable to prevent the fracture. It is crucial for nurses to recognize the patient’s rights and ensure that they participate in their care at all times. Alleviating pain and edema, reducing muscle spasm, and promoting early tissue repair are the aims of fracture nursing interventions. In conclusion, the nurse should utilize therapeutic communication and coordinate with members of the healthcare team to establish a comprehensive and individualized plan of care. All nursing interventions are directed towards the normalization of the patient’s ability to perform their activities of daily living. It is important to recognize that evidence proves that if early doubts exist about a patient’s fracture management, an experienced orthopedic surgeon should be consulted within 24 hours. I hope this answers all of your queries about fracture nursing, it definitely answered mine!

4. Complications and Prevention in Fracture Nursing

As we have already mentioned in section “3. Nursing Interventions for Fracture Management”, there is a high risk of getting complications in fractures. This is mostly related to delayed and poor fracture healing if not taken care of from the start till the end of the healing process. One of the main potential complications occurs when a fracture line is slow to disappear and that is called delayed union. In some cases, fractures do not heal and this is called fracture non-union. Although patients may experience this kind of situation years after their fracture, but most often it takes around 6-9 months of time. One of the other potential complications in a fracture is malunion. Malunion is a situation where a fracture is healed in the wrong position. This is why it is important to apply the nursing interventions as soon as possible to avoid the risk of malunion. The others include angulation of the bones at the fracture site, rotation deformity, and shortening of the bones. Moreover, as we nurses know, the chances of infection are always high with any medical condition. Similarly, the chances of getting the fracture site infected are also high and it is called infected non-union. We need to educate this to our patients during the nursing care so that they take extra measures to prevent infections. As mentioned in the “Nursing Interventions for Fracture Management,” I said that nurses must try their best to prevent further skin damage and skin breakdown. This is because damaged skins and skin breakdown will give chances to the bacteria to get an easy way to penetrate into our body and lead to infection, sepsis, and osteomyelitis. Soft tissue infection and bone infection at the fracture site may lead to the formation of pus and compromise the healing process. Eventually, or in the worst-case scenario, the bones can die due to a lack of blood supply and this situation is called avascular necrosis. So, all these complications and the risk of poor fracture healing give us a wake-up call to seriously consider the nursing interventions in fractures.

5. Patient Education and Rehabilitation in Fracture Nursing

During the recovery phase, which starts once the splint is in place or the casts have been attached, the patient gets to learn about the movement they should avoid and how they can expedite the healing. Just like in any kind of nursing, educating the patient about their condition and the kind of care they need to administer to themselves is an integral part of care giving. In order to develop an education plan for the patient, the nurse will have to assess the knowledge and understanding the patient has in regards to their own health and seek to know what the patient is doing for themselves to help enhance their health. The nurse should discuss with the patient, the need for the patient to understand that majority of the recovery process will depend on what they will do in the absence of health practitioners. The patient should be reminded that proper care means that there will be less possibility of developing complications along the way. When giving education, the time it takes, its comprehensiveness and the need to reinforce the patient education should well be taken into consideration. At times, it’s not always easy to grasp all that is being taught in just a single session. This is to mean that the education plan should be made in such a way that the patient, where possible, can be made to learn progressively. For example, someone may be taught how they can do simple exercises at the beginning of recovery. As the recovery progresses, the patient is shown new exercises. By the end of a well-crafted progressive education plan, it is expected that the patient will have known a lot that can help them in their recovery. However, the patient should also be able to understand when something goes wrong during recovery. The plan should include the steps that need to be taken; for example, the relevant health practitioner that the patient needs to get in touch with or what the patient needs to do when it’s an emergency case. Two key things that need to be taken into consideration when developing an injury or patient-tailored education plan include taking into account the learning preferences and styles of the patient and their willingness and readiness to learn. By knowing the learning preferences of the patient, it means that it will be easier to select the kind of patient education that will be appropriated at every phase of the recovery process. Equally important is the need to consider the lifestyle of the patient and their readiness to incorporate changes that will help to enhance their recovery. For example, a person who loves taking part in outdoor activities will work towards recovery where he or she knows that with adherence to care could lead to going back to his or her hobby. However, even as the education is being given, the patient has to understand that it’s not a must for them to do everything on their own. Friends and family can be asked to help in jotting down some notes with regards to the education the patient may receive from a nurse. This will help in such a way that both the patient and the respective individuals who opt to help in patient education can have a reference material handy and that any misdeed in the patient recovery education can be corrected. This also helps the patient to familiarize with the kind of care that they shall be expected to receive from their close friends or family as they recover from the fracture. Patient education in any kind of patient care is highly linked to the kind of care that the patient will receive and how the patient will take charge of their health. When the patient knows that their care is determined by what they know and what they do, the recovery process becomes friendlier and is likely to take a shorter period as compared to when there is no education given. Patient education in fracture recovery does not only help in recovery from the physical effects of the fracture but also the patient can learn what activities could have led to the fracture; and this can help in fracture prevention in the future.