Clinical Insights

Reading the fine print on prescription drug bottles can be challenging for many people. But for those who are visually impaired, it’s an all-but-impossible, potentially dangerous task. Now, a relatively new pill bottle has become music to the ears of those with poor eyesight.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a group of progressive inflammatory diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems (CDC, 2009). COPD damages the airways and lung tissue, and over a period of time, these changes result in more severe conditions such as pulmonary hypertension and right heart failure.

Coronary artery disease is the leading killer of both men and women in the United States. Each year, about 1.1 million Americans suffer a heart attack. About 460,000 of these heart attacks are fatal. Death and disability from cardiac arrest can be reduced with prompt thrombolytic therapy, ideally administered within the first hour after symptoms begin. Yet, many Americans delay seeking help.

A comprehensive pulmonary assessment is an incredibly valuable tool nurses have in their arsenal of skills.  A thorough and skilled assessment allows you to obtain descriptions about your patient’s symptoms and discover any associated physical findings that will aid in the development of differential diagnoses. 

Need a quick and easy way to remember how to accurately assess a wound? Look no further: the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI) has developed a pressure ulcer treatment protocol (2008), using a mnemonic to guide you through the assessment process: