Med Surg Flash Cards and suggested study strat. suggestions

NaomieRN · Jan 18, 2008

I make my own flash cards from the powerpoint notes.

Example

Name of Disease: Ulcerative Colitis

Definition of disease: A recurrent ulcerative and inflammatory disease of the mucosal and submuscosal layers of the colon and rectum. Highest in Caucasian and Jewish Heritage. Peak b/t 30 and 50 yrs old. Mortality is high and eventually 10 % to 15 % develop carcinoma

Signs & Symptoms (Assessment): Tachycardia, Hypotension, Tachypenea, Fever, Pallor. Check abd for bowel sounds, distensions, tenderness blood in stool, low hematocrit and hemoglobinAcute: Abd cramping and anal irritation , frequent and loose stools, Chronic: Toxic megacolon, perforation and bleeding of colonNursing

Diagnosis: Diarrhea related to inflammatory process, acute pain related to GI inflammation, deficient fluid volume

Treatment Plan: Reduce inflammation, provide rest for diseased bowel to allow healing

Nursing Interventions: Oral fluids, low residue, high protein, high calorie diet with vitamin therapy and iron replacement. Avoid any foods that exacerbate diarrhea. Sedatives and antidiarrheal and antiperistaltic medications.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jan 18, 2008

at the bottom of every one of my posts is a link to a file titled critical thinking flow sheet for nursing students. this sheet was designed to help students learn about the various medical diseases. all the information that you need to know about a medical disease and it's treatment needs to be filled in on the sheet. this is how you learn about the disease, it's symptoms, how the doctor diagnoses it, treats it, what the nurse does to carry out the treatments and what dependent and independent nursing actions we can take. this is all information you need to carry out critical thinking when it comes to problem solving in the clinical area. whether you purchase the cards or make them yourself from the sheet i created, you still have to learn this stuff. there is also a thread that i posted that has weblinks to help you find information on medical diseases and treatments that you may not find in your textbooks:

https://allnurses.com/forums/f205/medical-disease-information-treatment-procedures-test-reference-websites-258109.html - medical disease information/treatment/procedures/test reference websites

it will not be the nursing care that will trip you up on tests, but more likely the medical disease and symptom information and just how and where it fits in with treatment and nursing care. this is where critical thinking is involved. critical thinking has to do with knowing the information in the first place and how to fit it in with nursing care.