Patient-centered care is a competency where multiple dimensions of a patient’s need must be met. Patient-centered care provides comfort, emotional support, continuity, education, and patient preferences. For a patient currently developing or living with COPD, it is especially important to provide education, continuity of care, and comfort. As nurses, tools should be readily accessible and in the patient’s position, their oxygen demands have been heavily altered. Prioritizing airway patency assisting with measures to facilitate gas exchange, enhancing nutritional intake, prevent complications, and slowing the progress of the disease (Nurseslabs, 2023). Direct interaction has shown patients with chronic COPD have difficulty coping with stress and anxiety related to the oxygen demand. This is why proper tools such as Nasal cannula, fans, and nebulizer treatment can improve a patient’s symptoms while in our care. Regardless of ethnicity and cultural differences, every patient deserves proper care. Patient-centered care can mean individualizing your care for a patient that has different cultural, and ethnic backgrounds. It’s important to take their preferences into account as some religious people may not want to treat every illness the same way. Teamwork and collaboration are a competency that are crucial to treating a patient with COPD. For a COPD patient you would be collaborating with respiratory therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and possibly consults that involve multiple doctors. It’s important to adapt to their communication style and strategize a way to effectively advocate for your patient. Teamwork ultimately reduces patient harm as you involve multiple checks and balances to assess the patient and examine their chart. It’s necessary to communicate the needs of your patient to the staff who are available to help.
Informatics navigates the electronic record and involves technology and management of patient care. Informatics studies how a charting system in a hospital is used and how it can collect more relevant data. Informatics would help with charting and placement of a patient with COPD by including precise selections and opportunities for the nurse to share their assessment regarding a COPD patient. According to the National I Library of Medicine, Al or artificial intelligence has been showing incredible progress in the development of predicting exacerbations and not only the diagnosis of COPD, identifying COPD types/outliers, readmissions, outcomes using telemonitoring, health records, and imagining data (NIH, 2022). Related information found on a patient’s plan of care or problem list can streamline appropriate responses as we are delivering the patient to their appropriate unit and floor. It would give space for the nurse to come to the patient prepared to focus on their needs versus spending more time in other areas outside the patient’s room. Regarding charting, the nurse is more equipped to chart respiratory findings, their level of anxiety, gas exchange through ABGs and other labs, easily accessible ordering system for patient physical needs, and the progress of disease processes. Informatics would also involve nurses in implementing new technologies and teamwork collaboration results or planning effectively.
Evidence-based practice is the demonstration of knowledge based on scientific methods. The skills involved with following research and evidence involve reading all reports, guidelines, topics, and tools that already meet your hospital standards/ policies available to you. Protocols have been most likely put in place so using critical thinking to apply these protocols to your unique patient can help their overall stay as well as their post-hospital stay experience. The WHO has tons of information regarding the disease process and practical care for a patient with COPD while also continuing to develop actions to extend the diagnosis and treatment of COPD in numerous ways (WHO, 2023). Their leading guidelines are prioritizing continued development in our patients living with COPD and it is our job to implement them.
Conclusion
Prioritizing patient-centered care is a fundamental approach that considers the unique needs and preferences of each individual with COPD. Following evidence-based guidelines and leveraging informatics can contribute to better outcomes for individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Artificial intelligence has also made strides in predicting COPD symptoms and treatment approaches as well as improving outcomes through streamlining charting, implementing new technologies, and accessing relevant data. AI has allowed nurses and other healthcare professionals to stay informed about research, guidelines, and protocols for applying best possible practices to individual patients. This paper has also demonstrated that effective communication and teamwork can reduce errors, optimize patient outcomes, and improve patient safety. Thus, providing comprehensive education and counselling about COPD to ensure continuity of care across care facilities help maintain stability of the care setting and create a comfortable environment where patients’ well-being is positively impacted.
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