Dear all,
I am currently having my Cardiopulmonary Placement. I saw a patient today who was admitted a couple of days ago after a motorbike accident, suffering from T1 fracture (tetraplegia).
The aim of physiotherapy treatment is to maintain and monitor the patient’s chest twice daily. As usual, I review the patient, Mr X first thing in the morning and was shocked to hear what had happened overnight.
Yesterday night, the call bell had been left accidentally at the end of the bed. During the onset of SOB, Mr X wanted to call for help but was unable to do so. Being unable to move his lower extremities, having weak intrinsic hand muscles, he was unable to reach for the bell. Mr X commented feeling extremely helpless and scared!! He had just started to cope with his disability and had absolutely no idea how to cope with this situation. This episode of anxiety increased his SOB. When the physiotherapist was finally called in to attend to him, what he needed was SOB positioning and some reassurance.
I learnt an important lesson through this incident. We come in contact with patients everyday, each with a different condition. Focusing on giving the best possible treatment is important but it is crucial to keep in mind that something as simple as ensuring that the call bell is in the reach of patients after treatment sessions can make a big difference to them psychologically. Although we see majority of the patients in the day, we never know when patients will need help. Now, after treatments, I always make the effort to ensure that I leave the call bell near all my patients.
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1 comment:
Hi Mingjuan
I can relate to this situation as i had a similar patient on my last prac. Due to recurrent aspiration Pneumonias (compounded by a colourful medical history) he was sent for a cuffed tracheotomy.
Prior to this procedure he was extremely anxious and SOB. With the addition of the trachy he could no longer communicate his intentions, which I imagine would be scary for anyone. A lot of our treatment actually focused on addressing his anxiety towards sitting up in bed, then eventually standing and finally walking a few steps. Following treatment the first thing he would indicate for was the nurse bell. Understanding and acknowledging his fears was a key aspect in his treatment. Something as simple as remembering to reset the room the way it was prior to therapy (call bell, communication chart, table etc) goes along way in establishing a trusting relationship and a positive outlook to therapy.
Keep up the good work
Jess
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