[Sharon]

(from the Activities above) Pick one of the statements that you indicated was False and explain why, provide an example.

[Katie]

If a patient is considered complex, they will also be acutely ill = False, or at least not always true.

Palliative Care clts nearing end of life would not be considered acutely ill, the outcomes are predictable, the trajectory stable and yet the needs of the clt and the nursing skills required for these clt can be extremely complex.

[Maame]

I agree with you Katie,if a patient is palliative as you said they can’t be acutely ill because the outcome of being palliative is next is death so it isn’t possible to be acutely ill.

[Johanna]

I also chose “if a patient is considered complex, they will also be acutely ill.” I believe this statement is not necessarily true.

I once cared for a resident who was a quadriplegic, obese, with chronic pain issues, IDDM, and had a suprapubic catheter. She was very heavy in terms of care needs. However, she was quite young, her health was quite stable, and she was actually very active in the community both inside and outside the facility. She would take her motorized w/c and go to church on Sundays, and various community events on her own.

She certainly would not be considered “acutely ill”.

[Katie]

Agreed, in a lot of nursing settings I believe we see clts with very complex needs who would not be considered acutely ill. Actuely ill patients are very specific to a few settings of the health care sector.

[Jeanette]

I chose – If a patient is considered complex, they will also be acutely ill
as false as I have seen many patients that are very complex and not ill at all.

In Community you meet lots of patients that are very complex with multiple health concerns but they are not sick or ill and are living there normal lives. I have many patients with Diabetes, high Cholesterol and Hypertension which may not seen too complex but add Mental Health issues, Additions and or are a new comer to the Canada and don’t speak the language and the complexity increases. It is a lot of work for the nurse to be able to talk to patient through an interrupter, to arrange food for patients that can’t afford it, to manage a patients diabetes and hypertension when they have additions and they can’t keep appointments. These Patients are not acutely ill and the out comes are predictable but very complex due to amount of work/skills are needed.

[Maame]

Patients can be “heavy ” and yet not be acutely ill. I believe this statement is false. For example, there was a resident on my unit who was considered two person assist for care and all ADL’s contracted COVID 19. He was sent to the hospital and came back once he was clear of covid. It doesn’t matter the weight of the patient/ resident they can get acutely ill at any given time.

[Jeanette]

Hi Maame,
For sure a patients weight will not always reflect the acuity of an illness. I think the term “heavy” in this statement relates to the work load a patient can create for a nurse not the physical weight.

[Author]

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