Читать книгу Understanding Anatomy and Physiology in Nursing - John Knight - Страница 104

Gerald is a 62-year-old man who recently visited his GP complaining of feeling constantly tired and washed out and experiencing breathlessness when climbing his stairs and doing his gardening. His GP noted that his pulse rate was high at 107 bpm and was also very irregular, and he was referred to a local cardiac clinic where he was diagnosed with persistent atrial fibrillation. Following unsuccessful cardioversion (where a controlled electrical shock is given to restore sinus rhythm), Gerald was prescribed apixaban and a beta blocker (sotalol) to manage his condition. Gerald has been taking his medication sporadically. Two days ago Gerald was admitted to hospital after suffering a minor stroke and on questioning it was discovered that he had stopped taking his apixaban, which almost certainly increased the coagulability of his blood, leading to his stroke.

From the case study above it is apparent that Gerald is still unclear about the risks associated with his condition. A key role of nurses is to help educate patients and explain the purpose of their medications. Activity 3.2 highlights this role.