gerd nursing assignment help

gerd nursing assignment help

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): A Comprehensive Nursing Assignment Help

1. Introduction to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

This condition also has an impact on mental health. For example, a research study in 2016 examined studies on the impact of GERD on quality-adjusted life years. The study found that the disease decreases the mental and physical quality of patient life years by 2.5% and 2.7% respectively. This means GERD may lead a patient to many serious problems like mental liability, suicide, and mental disorder. Nowadays, GERD is still a big problem in the world. However, doctors and researchers are still working on finding new treatment ways and effective drug therapy to help improve patient outcomes. For instance, a treatment named EsoGuard, which is a non-invasive diagnostic test, has been developed by Medtronic plc and could revolutionize patient care for GERD. It has good sensitivity, up to 88%, and specificity, up to 83%. This would be the most likely test that doctors will use to diagnose GERD. These will definitely benefit most of the patients. There is also ongoing research into new pharmacological and more invasive methods, as well as continuing to monitor diet and lifestyle to help figure out ways of combating GERD. Thanks to the advancing of medical technologies, hopefully one day a patient suffering from GERD will find the cure to this disease.

Although everyone may have experience of acid reflux, it is possible that these conditions may develop for people of different ages and lifestyles. There are many people suffering from this disease globally. For example, a large-scale survey, ALG 2018, found that 59% of American adults say they experience the symptoms of GERD each week. Nearly 30% of those suffer from weekly symptoms and 24% of them suffer from daily symptoms. Also, GERD can affect all races and all types of people. Studies show that GERD patients have high rates of economic burden.

A patient suffering from GERD may experience the following symptoms: regurgitation, nausea, chest pain, heartburn, difficulty in swallowing, and dry cough. Some common causes of GERD are having a weakened lower esophagus sphincter which may allow this to be exposed, increased relaxin levels during pregnancy, delayed stomach emptying or gastric distillation, and a sudden, strong pressure on the abdomen, like vomiting and overeating.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic digestive disease that occurs when stomach acid or, occasionally, bile flows back (reflux) into your food pipe (esophagus). The backwash of acid irritates the lining of your esophagus and causes GERD. Both acid reflux and heartburn are common digestive conditions that many people experience from time to time. When these signs and symptoms occur at least twice each week or interfere with your daily life, doctors call this GERD. Also known as acid reflux, people say that they feel burning, bloating or a sour taste in the back of the throat, coughing or wheezing, and difficulty in swallowing. These symptoms may reach a peak because the shape and functionality of your stomach changes with age. For example, your stomach can relax after eating.

2. Causes and Risk Factors of GERD

One of the common and significant features or causes of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is the improper function of the lower esophageal sphincter. The circular muscles located in the lower portion of the esophagus usually remain contracted, helping to prevent the content of the stomach from flowing back or refluxing into the esophagus. In some situations, any factors or causes associated with a decrease in pressure in the lower esophageal muscles can be a reason for developing GERD. The lower esophageal sphincter generally receives pressure from the diaphragm. However, problems or causes such as hormones, medications, diet, daily habits, increased pressure in the abdomen, and the frequent relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter can also be defined as the most common causes or risk factors of GERD. However, there are many diseases or chronic disorders that cause frequent and long-term GERD signs and symptoms. This shows that those chronic disorders and diseases are the causes, but most of the time, the reason for GERD is unknown or still remains a mystery. Major diseases or chronic disorders that cause GERD, as well as showing long-term signs and symptoms of GERD, are chronic heartburn, esophagitis, Barrett’s esophagus, and duodenal ulcer. Additionally, occasional heartburn is the common and frequent main cause of developing GERD. However, people usually feel the acid reflux and burning, and these are the reasons that lead them to seek medical treatment. On the other hand, if people show long-term signs of chronic sudden, it may increase the chances of developing GERD. The reality is that GERD is a chronic long-term disease. People of all ages, from infants to the elderly, with different lifestyles, can get GERD. For example, several studies have been conducted and have proven that the most significant risk factor for developing acid reflux disease is work and age. When a person gets older, the risk for developing GERD is higher, and at the same time, workload pressure also becomes the main reason for developing GERD. However, the most significant risk factor at work is generally due to diet, dietary factors, increased pressure in the abdomen, and some medications that may be used at work. On the other hand, in countries where teenagers study in college or university, like students aged between 18 to 25, university and college life sometimes may contribute a small effort to the causes and risk factors of GERD. The most common causes or risk factors of GERD may be psychological, and daily hectic life creates high stress and excessive psychological adrenaline, which can lead to chronic heartburn. An easy example that influences GERD symptoms is students who always feel stress, pressure, inadequate sleep, and inactive or overactive adrenaline.

3. Assessment and Diagnosis of GERD

The assessment of a patient with GERD is usually quite comprehensive. Initially, a detailed history from the patient with emphasis on the nature of the symptoms, the duration of the symptoms, the frequency and the time of onset of the symptoms, any causative factors, and any relieving and precipitating factors is obtained as a way of trying to define the pattern and symptoms of the disease. After that, a thorough physical examination is carried out with particular emphasis on the signs of the complications of GERD. In most instances, the physical findings of patients with GERD are usually normal. However, sometimes there may be signs that suggest complications of the disease. It should be noted that while confirmation of the presence of GERD work it is strongly recommended that empirical treatment should not be assumed. This is why investigations are required to evaluate the magnitude of acid reflux that comes to the esophagus. Some of the investigations that are often done are from practicing endoscopic means like esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) with the major aim being to demonstrate macroscopic damage from the mucosal lining. The other test that can be carried out is the biopsy of the esophageal mucosa in order to confirm the presence of inflammatory changes. This can also help to rule out the presence of histological abnormalities such as Barrett’s esophagus. Patients with severe GERD symptoms may opt for pH monitoring of the distal portion of the esophagus. This is because it can be able to effectively quantify the number of episodes of acid reflux and it can also be able to establish the link between the reflux episodes and the symptoms that the patient may be experiencing. For those patients who do not respond to drug treatment, they may undergo further testing. One of the common tests that are done to ascertain the motility and contractility is the esophageal manometry and this usually involves passing a catheter through the nose and into the esophageal lumen. The other investigations may include contrast radiography. This is where radiographic and fluoroscopic evaluations of the act of swallowing can be used to identify cases of esophageal dysmotility that can be responsible for generating symptoms that mimic those of GERD. On the other hand, in recognition of the fact that nurses play a pivotal role in the assessment of patients with GERD, it is imperative that they are armed with both the knowledge on how to conduct an effective assessment of the patients and the key clinical findings that may be established.

4. Nursing Interventions for Managing GERD

The nursing professionals can play a fundamental role in managing GERD. The patient might be prescribed medication to alleviate symptoms and these need to be taken on time and exactly as directed. The patient might not be able to take certain medications and some might be harmful to the growing fetus in pregnant women. In severe cases of GERD, surgery might be considered. Surgery to reinforce the lower esophageal sphincter is the most commonly applied procedure. This is known as fundoplication. The surgeon can sew the top of the stomach around the esophagus. This adds pressure to the lower end of the esophagus and helps to prevent acid escaping up into the esophagus. The patient can also have the hiatus hernia repaired at the same time. There are several nursing strategies that registered nurses should implement in patients diagnosed with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. According to Wong (2006), nurses can initiate strategies such as showing pictures or diagrams of the refluxed material when educating older children about Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. They can also improve patient’s meal pattern by increasing the frequency of meals and decreasing the amount of food ingested in one meal. Patients who have difficulty suctioning and swallowing normally, nurses should involve them in discussions about endotracheal cuff pressure. This will help them to gain better understanding of their own medical interventions for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and enhancing their autonomy in the decision-making process. In patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, patient education is a crucial part in reducing the associated morbidity and preserving health (Sands, Pollack & Jones, 2014). Patient education can include teaching the patient about the significance of the prescribed medicines and the potential adverse effects of long-standing esophagitis such as Barrett’s esophagus, a premalignant condition and esophageal cancer. It is important for the nursing professionals to ensure optimal effectiveness and safety of the medication therapy in patients. For example, the patients need to know the correct dosage and timing in relation to meals and this knowledge can enable the patient to make the appropriate lifestyle modifications. Also, it is important for patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease to report to the healthcare providers should they have experienced any increased chest pain, regurgitation, respiratory symptoms, dysphagia and upper gastrointestinal bleeding so that medical attention can be sought promptly. This will help to decrease the probability of the occurrence of complications that are related to this disease. In managing the Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, it is important for continuous nursing interventions as it has a significant impact on the patients’ well-being and health. Thus, the role of the nursing professional is essential in initiating and delivering quality health care to the patients as part of an interdisciplinary team, to bring about physical and mental well-being to those patients.

5. Patient Education and Lifestyle Modifications for GERD

The fifth section of the comprehensive nursing assignment help on Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is “Patient Education and Lifestyle Modifications for GERD”. The section describes that patient education is one of the most important nursing interventions for patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). It is important for patients to understand the importance of taking their medications as prescribed; that GERD is a chronic disease that may require lifelong treatment; and the goals of therapy. Furthermore, in health education, nurses should remind patients not to smoke or drink alcohol, and not to eat anything for at least 2-3 hours before going to bed as these are the lifestyle modifications recommended for GERD. Raising the head of the bed on 6-inch blocks also can help decrease the symptoms of GERD. By placing the wooden/cement blocks under the bedposts at the head of the bed, it helps elevate the upper body and provides a natural slope that helps to prevent the reflux of acid from the stomach back into the esophagus (Smeltzer, et al., 2010). By putting blocks under the bedposts, nurses should remind patients that it is not appropriate to use extra pillows because this practice will not elevate the head high enough to achieve the benefit. Also, nurses should discuss with the patients the proper food choices that can help to prevent and manage GERD such as avoiding fatty and greasy foods, tomato, alcohol, chocolate, caffeine, citrus fruits and peppermint. It is always a good idea to eat certain foods that are well tolerated in small, frequent meals, and doctors may suggest your meals several hours before bedtime as another effective lifestyle modification for GERD.