Pathophysiology??

[RNnTrainin']

I realize this may sound silly to some, but I am working on my first patient's paper work and I am not sure what the pathophysiology is, or where I find it. Can anyone help? Thanks!!!

[Bobylon]

Daytonite is always a great resource when it comes to care plans. She's helped me more than once, even when it hasn't been one of my questions.

^^^^^ Amen to that !!!! ^^^^^ Daytonite is definitely a valuable member here, extremely helpful to many of us

[woknblues]

I look at pathophysiology as a tool of the nursing process. It is easy to understand when you look at them diagrammatically rather than narratively, because they are very detail rich, and thus, distracting. Be aware that any instructor or class could have and usually does have their own format, and what parts to focus on.

I will use (Hodgkins lymphoma) for my very simplified example:

1.You start with your risk factors and predispositions (infectious mononucleosis exposure as a teen, works in polluted areas, has familial Hx, etc)

2. Then you have your problem/imbalance/trigger/agonist (mutation and rapid growth of cell)

3. Then you have the effected target organ/system (clavicular lymph nodes)

4. At this point, an arrow off to the left could list all your signs and symptoms, and appropriate labs such as swollen and painful lymphodes, then excssional bioplsy for example

4. Going down vertically again, I would then put more progression of the illness or disease, allowing for cures or remissions wherever appropriate (likely with arrows or call outs to redirect you to the beginning or earlier in the disease process)

5. With each progression, I make arrows to the right, and give brief medical interventions, and any specific related nursing interventions.

6. From these interventions specific to my disease, I derive my Nursing Diagnosis, and usually select 3 for my diagram, just for reference points.

Depending on how much further you want to go, or are required to go by your instructor, you could easily incorportate a nursing care plan into this diagram.

It seems like a lot of busy work, but as you do it, you are learning a lot, and depending on how good your stuff is, it makes an easy and tailored tool for you to use in your future encounters with that disease, or related diseases.

Pathophysiology kinda fills in the gaps of disease and your client for me. I should also mention that you could make a "typical or classic" patho for a disease that would look entirely different than the "actual" one that you may encounter.

[RNnTrainin']

Did you read the H&P? There had to be one or they wouldn't have allowed her in the OR procedure rooms. The OR nurses are very anal about that. Docs don't do cystos on people who have low abdominal pain. Did she have this pain only when she urinated? She had other symptoms and I'm betting they had to do with voiding. If you had that information then you could diagnose something like Impaired Urinary Elimination.

• Pain R/T scar tissue around a retained suture
  
• Risk for Infection R/T invasive procedure [a post-cysto UTI, not the IV]
  
• Risk for Falls R/T history of falling

I read everything that my instructor gave me. Maybe we didn't have all of the paperwork, but in the spot for the admitting diagnosis, it said cystoscopy. I knew there had to be more, but I thought "well, I'll go with this for now". I should have pressed a little harder to get the info I needed.

Thank you so much for your help!!! I really do appreciate it.