Prioritising Patients

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Okay, so I was given a task to discuss which patient would be prioritised when it came to a hip replacement, a middle aged man or an elderly woman. I believe that the man would be prioritised however I'm not sure as I am finding it very difficult to find reason to support my choice. All I can think of is the fact that the man would get a longer usage from the replacement and that the woman could encounter more risks during surgery and healing time due to the fact that she is at a frailer point in her life.

it would be incredibly helpful if anyone could provide me with any more information or correct me if I have anything wrong.

Thank you.

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Specializes in RETIRED Cath Lab/Cardiology/Radiology.

Is this a class assignment?

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Consult the stability framework for prioritizing patients.

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Yes it is

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Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.

Interesting how you devalue the elderly woman

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
Interesting how you devalue the elderly woman

Especially since statistically more elderly females have longer and more active lives than males.

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.

Homework help is available in the nursing student assistance forum.

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Specializes in Reproductive & Public Health.

I don't think the question is asking which patient is more "deserving" of a replacement. Usually prioritization questions refer to which patient you should assess/ care for first.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
Okay, so I was given a task to discuss which patient would be prioritised when it came to a hip replacement, a middle aged man or an elderly woman. I believe that the man would be prioritised however I'm not sure as I am finding it very difficult to find reason to support my choice. All I can think of is the fact that the man would get a longer usage from the replacement and that the woman could encounter more risks during surgery and healing time due to the fact that she is at a frailer point in her life.

it would be incredibly helpful if anyone could provide me with any more information or correct me if I have anything wrong.

Thank you.

Emphasis mine. From what source did you derive that "fact"? Who's to say that even if the middle-aged man lives longer than the elderly woman that he won't outlive his replacement and need a new one?

Be careful when you make assumptions and label them as facts.

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

Is the question asking you to prioritize who should get the replacement or who to see first?

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Specializes in Cardiac, Home Health, Primary Care.

I'm no ortho nurse but aren't joint replacements only good for around 30 years? I have middle aged patients who could use knee replacements but are too young at this time to get them.

Also think about fall risk without the hip replacement for each patient.

There's more to factor in than age of the patient.

I will also add I'm not sure what kind of assignment this would be. Hip prosthetics aren't quite like donated organs....

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Specializes in PACU, pre/postoperative, ortho.

If the question refers to who to assess first, I don't think there is enough info. Time post-op, VS trends, medical hx, current symptoms reported, etc. are necessary. I can't think of a time that sex or age of a pt was a determining factor for me when prioritizing care.

As far as prioritizing who gets a replacement, several factors are missing here too, imo. How severely are ADLs limited, degree of disability, co-morbidities (don't assume someone elderly is less healthy), have other conservative options have been explored? And really, it comes down to who qualifies medically & can afford it financially, which could very likely be both; no one is prioritized or "chosen" over another.

Maybe I'm just not understanding the question....

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