Nursing 213

N213: Health Differences Across the Lifespan 3 Study Guide

Chapter Two: Neurological Dysfunction Neurological dysfunction is caused by diseases that affect the central nervous system and certain injuries to the head, spine, and brain. As a nurse, you will most likely encounter these patients in the long-term care setting or sub-acute units of hospitals. They require higher levels of care and comfort measures to help them cope with the disease process, pain, and dysfunction of the CNS. The main pathway for neurological dysfunction is the brain and spinal column. Certain diseases and injuries cause a breakdown in the pathways of the central nervous system and can affect the heart, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary tract, and extremities. These disorders can affect the ability to see, think, hear, eat, breathe, walk, talk, and many other body functions. A nurse’s main focus with patients that have a neurological dysfunction will be assistance with daily living activities, promoting independence, and patient and family teaching. Many families of these patients are shocked to see the deterioration of a family member that was once thriving. The patient may experience several emotions, such as grief, frustration, depression, and anxiety. Often, these patients will also have control issues and can be very demanding of a nurse. Realize that patients with neurological dysfunction have lost the ability to control many body functions, therefore they grasp onto anything that they can control. These disorders take a very understanding and empathetic nurse. In the long run, working with these patients can be very rewarding to assist them in maintaining a high quality of life. Common neurological diseases include: • Myasthenia gravis • Epilepsy (seizure disorders) • Huntington’s disease • Multiple sclerosis • Parkinson’s disease • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) • Guillain-Barre I njuries and disorders that cause neurological dysfunction: • Brain tumor • Spinal cord injury • Head injury • Cerebrovascular accidents

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