NURS6019 High Acuity Nursing

Mr John Walker is a 64 year old male who is transferred to your high dependency ward from the surgical intensive care unit ( ICU ). He is three (3) days postoperative after a Hartmann’s procedure for his colon cancer.

His observations on arrival are, Spo2 89%, Pulse 110 beats/min, Respiratory rate 28 breaths/min and Temperature 38.2º C. He has an indwelling catheter insitu and his fluid balance chart reveals a decreased urine output. Respiratory assessment reveals decreased air entry bilaterally. He has a central venous catheter inserted into his right subclavian vein, an arterial line and is currently on a cardiac monitor.

When providing your response, you should consider any potential complications the nurse might expect Mr Walker to encounter? You should outline the nursing interventions in order of priority that would be appropriate to prevent Mr Walker’s condition from getting worse and to prevent further development of any complications you identify.  This assessment should be submitted in a modified essay format. This means students are required to include an introduction, body and conclusion in their work. Headings are acceptable but dot points, lists, pictures and tables are not.

You are required to write an essay

This assessment requires you to explore the evidence base for postoperative nursing care of the critically ill patient. You will need to analyse the current literature including research papers and journal articles to answer the question. The essay must show evidence of critical analysis, synthesis and evaluation of relevant research literature. That is, unit protocols or guidelines, textbooks and other secondary sources do NOT qualify as suitable reference material for uncovering the evidence base for best practice. PubMed, The Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health literature (CINAHL) and Medline are useful sources to locate the research evidence for this essay.