Introduction
The case under analysis presents a 76-year-old man experiencing cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. He has been often hospitalized. He observes problems in following the necessary diet and taking all the prescribed medicine according to the instructions. The case is even more complicated due to pitting edema, moist crackles throughout lung fields, and labored breathing. The man lives with his wife but she is not very emphatic. She suffers from disability to leave the house freely since she has to be near the husband. Besides, she is worried with the financial issues which used to be the concern of the husband when he was healthy.
Approach to Care
Since the man has numerous health problems, the approach to care should be complex. A patient-centered approach can be useful here. Rickert admits that this approach can “improve their patients’ clinical outcomes and satisfaction rates by improving the quality of the doctor-patient relationship, while at the same time decreasing the utilization of diagnostic testing, prescriptions, hospitalizations, and referrals” (2012, para.1). Patient-centered approach can be applied with any patients suffering from various diseases. Its main idea is to define what bothers the patient and provide the treatment that satisfies the patient.
Treatment Plan
The treatment plan should include a thorough examination of the patient. He suffers from many diseases; thus it is necessary to check their current condition. After the careful examination, the medication prescriptions should be reviewed. Since the patient has problems with following the doctor’s instructions, the prescriptions should be optimized. Additionally, the patient needs psychological support, probably a kind of group therapy with people who have similar diagnoses. The experience of managing the diseases will be useful for him.
Patient and Family Education
Active involvement of the family members is considered one of the efficient methods in patient education (Bastable, 2016). In the case under consideration, demonstration can be the effective technique. A nurse can show a wife how to take care of her husband. Written materials can be used to resolve the problems with dieting. The wife will get the written instructions on nutrition and will be responsible for cooking healthy food. Moreover, these methods can be facilitated with video materials which can be watched when it is necessary. In addition, the patient and his wife need regular control concerning their following the prescriptions.
Teaching Plan
The teaching plan for Mr. P. and his wife includes the following stages. First comes the introductory meeting during which a nurse can state the problems of Mr. P. and briefly explain the approaches to coping with them. The following meetings will be dedicated to a particular health issue:
- Lifestyles with heart problems.
- Healthy diet.
- Polypharmacy management.
- General hygiene for pitting edema and moist crackles.
Besides, the wife needs a meeting with psychoanalyst to cope with her worries about the financial issues and her constant staying at home.
Conclusions
The patient’s case needs careful consideration. The complex problems cause the general bad condition, both moral and physical. First of all, the moral pressure should be removed, since such condition makes the medical treatment less effective. Secondly, it is important to attract patient’s family into the treatment process. The man needs both moral support and supervision to feel cared and to follow the prescriptions aimed at the improvement of his condition.
References
Bastable, S.B. (2016). Essentials of Patient education. Burlington, MA: Jones & Barlett Learning.
Rickert, J. (2012). Patient-centered care: What it means and how to get there. Web.