Nursing 104

N104: Essentials of Nursing Care – Health Safety Study Guide • Severe levels of anxiety may produce feelings of danger, distorted communication, inability to make decisions, and extreme feelings of fatigue. The nurse must intervene to make teaching effective. • When anxiety reaches a panic level, the individual will be unable to function with high levels of perceptual distortion. At this level, anxiety may lead the patient to harm himself or someone else. 4.3 Health Maintenance The focus of health care is the maintenance and improvement of behaviors that promote high levels of wellness. Individuals use preventative behaviors to protect themselves from disease and illness. • Primary prevention consists of interventions aimed at preventing illness andencouraging healthy lifestyles. For example, immunizations, prenatal care, exercise classes, and stress reduction might be examples of primary prevention interventions that the nurse might implement to prevent disease in at-risk populations. • Secondary prevention consists of interventions that focus on early detection and treatment of disease. For example, hearing and vision screening, pap smears, mammography, and screening for diabetes and colon cancer are the interventions that the nurse would recommend for early detection and treatment of disorders. • Tertiary prevention refers to interventions aimed at preventing complications of disease and providing rehabilitation to decrease further disability from a disorder. Rehabilitation services after cardiac surgery is an example of tertiaryprevention. Factors Influencing Health Maintenance There are many factors that can influence health maintenance. The astute nurse will be certain to include assessment of each factor during the evaluation of the patient. • Gender: A patient may be at increased risk for certain diseases and conditions basedon gender. Studies also indicate that there may be differences in care seeking behaviors based on gender. Men may be less likely to seek care. • Inherited factors: People are born with risk factors or predispositions for certain diseases or conditions. For example, a woman with a mother or sibling with breast cancer may be at increased risk for the disease. As such, her health maintenance habits should include regular breast exams and mammograms. The nurse must understand the patient's family history in order to help the patient understand the steps that can be taken to minimize risk or have early recognition of the disease. • Developmental level: The patient's developmental level will have a profound effect on health needs and expectations. o During infancy and through young childhood, health maintenance involves developing good eating, exercise, and health habits. Immunizations are typically completed during this stage. The nurse must assess development, vision, and hearing during this stage.

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