Accidents and Injuries Across the Lifespan
According to a report by the CDC (2007), accidents and unintentional injuries continue to be one of the top ten leading causes of death in the United States. Accidents and injuries can arise from a variety of different situations ranging from psychological disorders, drug use and alcohol consumption, car accidents, and firearms, to suspected abuse and violence. Accidents and injuries also happen in health care facilities. Falls are included as one of the Never Events and both falls and falls with injuries are an NDNQI nurse specific indicator. Nurses have a significant role in reducing falls and injuries in the health care setting.
Nurses also have a significant role in advocating for the safety of their patients. Noticing signs and symptoms that may indicate physical abuse is typically a part of conducting a health assessment interview and physical exam. In addition, assessing an elderly patient's fall risk is also completed during the health assessment interview and exam. Then, appropriate safety measures can be implemented to help ensure quality care.
This week, you will explore the leading causes of accidents and injuries across the lifespan. You will also examine how depression is manifested at different ages and strategies nurses can use when advocating for patients.
Reference: Heron, M. (2007). Deaths: Leading causes for 2003. National Vital Statistics Report, 56(5), 1-96. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr56/nvsr56_05.pdf
One of the issues patients who face a drawn out illness or an extend hospital stay deal with is a tendency to become depressed. How does a patient's age influence the way in which depression can manifest? How does the nurse's role differ when working with patients with depression based on the clinical setting? Please answer the following:
- Describe depression-related problems that patients may have. If you have worked or are currently working in patient care, you may choose to describe problems that you have actually encountered.
- Find an article in the professional nursing literature in the Walden Library that provides strategies that might help patients with depression in your work setting.
- Share the reference and discuss at least two nursing interventions that BSN nurses could use to help patients with these problems.
your responses to the Discussion based on the course requirements. Your initial postings must be 250-350 words (not including the full references). Keep your responses succinct.
Your written assignments must follow APA guidelines. Be sure to support your work with specific citations from this week's Learning Resources. Other scholarly sources may also be used to support your work.
Refer to the APA Publication Manual to ensure that your in-text citations and reference list are correct.