End-Stage Renal Disease - Essay Example

End Stage Renal Disease Name Date Human life is faced by numerous complications and shortcomings. These complications range from wars, unemployment to natural disasters. However, the most profound problem is associated with health care and diseases. Important people who play major roles within health care are the nurses who usually care for the injured and sick in hospitals, where they come together to alleviate suffering and restore health. Sometimes, patients are sent home and are followed by nurses to provide care that is similar to that provided in healthcare facilities. Moreover, health centres and clinics in communities usually have few doctors, but they are usually complimented by the presence of nurses who diagnose and treat common diseases, through prescription and dispensation of medications, and sometimes perform minor surgeries. Nevertheless, nurses are continuously promoting individual’s health and prevent diseases from occurring in the communities. For example, nurses may come together to prevent and treat illness such as kidney disease. Kidneys are important organs and their main role is to remove waste products from the blood but sometimes their filtering system may break down resulting in kidney disease. Thus, the aim of this paper is to analyse nurse’s means to prevent kidney disease in community and explore causes and risks that are associated with kidney disease and strategies that can be used to improve quality of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Usually, there are numerous causes of kidney disease and one of them is diabetes. Human body usually digest protein, the process results in the creation of waste products. The filtering process of kidneys is fulfilled through the presence of capillaries and other small holes. Thus, when the blood flows through these vessels, small molecules passes through these holes, and these waste products become urine (Greenberg and Cheung 446). Other products or molecules that are bigger such as red blood cells and protein are usually too big and thus cannot pass through the filter and hence stay in the blood. However, this normal system can be damaged by diabetes. This is because increase of blood sugar results in increase filtration by kidneys. This extra work becomes a problem to the filters and with time, the filters start to leak. This then results in lose of useful protein, and when small amounts of protein is detected in the urine (microalbuminuria), it can treated in advance since there are numerous treatments that will prevent the kidneys from deteriorating. However, when the amounts of protein increase in blood, it results in macroalbumunuria and this stage is usually followed by end-stage renal disease ESRD. With time, the overwork cause stress and thus causes the kidneys to lose their filtering ability resulting in kidney failure. Therefore, this problem can be prevented if nurses take appropriate action through educating and creating awareness within the communities. The nurses should teach and educate communities on the causes of diabetes. For example, nurses should educate the communities that maintaining their blood sugar level within certain range will prevent numerous diseases such as kidney (Greenberg and Cheung 447). Another cause of kidney disease is high blood pressure. Usually, blood pressure measures the force of blood relative to the walls of the different blood vessels within the body. Some factors that cause increase in blood pressure are the presence of extra fluid in the body that translates in increase of blood in the vessels and thus results in blood pressure to increase. Additionally, stiff, narrow or clogged blood vessels also contribute towards increase in blood pressure. High blood pressure contributes towards kidney disease (Stein 772). This is because the high blood pressure makes the heart to work harder and with time, the pressure can damage the blood vessels. Since the organs within the body have numerous blood vessels, the higher pressure may damage these vessels. Thus, the blood vessels in the kidneys will likely be damaged resulting in up normal operation of the kidney or may stop fulfilling its roles. Moreover, the extra fluid that the kidneys are supposed to remove may result in increase in blood pressure and thus it is a dangerous cycle. Therefore, it is important for nurses to ensure that the community understand the link between the kidney disease and high blood pressure. Nurses should know the causative agents that contribute towards high blood pressure and they (nurses) should educate the community on means and strategies that can be used to control high blood pressure. Moreover, the nurses should ensure that the community frequently check their blood pressure levels while those with high blood pressure should use appropriate medications or utilise strategies that will ensure that the blood pressure level is reduced (Mcphee, Tierney and Papadakis 940). Apart from diabetes and high blood pressure, other medical conditions can contribute towards kidney disease such as polycystic kidney disease and glomerulonephritis. Glomerulonephritis is a combination of diseases that contributes towards inflammation of the glomeruli; glomeruli are the tiny filters that are found in the kidney. Inflammation can be attributed to infection or other numerous causes. Even though inflation is rare, the presence of inflammation will result in the kidneys leaking red blood cells or protein into the urine. Thus, the extent of the leak will determine whether the kidney disease is still in its minor stage or it has become chronic. On the other hand, polycystic kidney disease is a hereditary condition and results in both the kidneys filled with cysts (Stein 782). This results in the kidney not working effectively and thus results in kidney diseases. In the case of the nurses, it is important to analyse and understand medical background of most individuals in the community to understand their vulnerability to these numerous diseases. From this analysis, it is evident that association of other diseases causes kidney disease and thus nurses should ensure that the community are kept informed and healthy. Moreover, natural and lifestyle factors may contribute towards kidney diseases. Some researches have shown that been Hispanic, African American, American Indian and Asian have high chances of kidney diseases. Other natural factors include family history of CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease), being born prematurely and being older. Additionally, there are the pre-renal causes that are usually associated with decreased supply of blood to the kidneys (Lewis, Heitkemper and Ruff 1217). Some examples of pre-renal causes are dehydration from loss of body fluid that may include fever, sweating, diarrhoea and vomiting; hypovolemia due to blood loss hence low blood volume; insufficient intake of fluids, inappropriate medication i.e. diuretics and due to obstruction of renal vein and artery it may result in loss of blood to the kidney. On the other hand, lifestyle related causes are smoking, taking street drugs, using prescriptions that are allergic to the body and overuse of some pain pills that contain ibuprofen, naproxen or acetaminophen (NSAIDs). In the case of lifestyle factors, nurses can easily control these causative agents through educating community. Diet play a major role in controlling the adversity of kidney related causes and thus nurse should cultivate healthy eating in the communities. Some of dietary strategies may include eating vegetables, lots of fruit and grain based food such as noodles, bread and rice. It is also advisable to eat small amounts of salty or fatty food doubled with lean meat like fish and chicken. Moreover, nurses should encourage communities to maintain healthy weight and participate in physical activities such as lawn mowing, walking and bike riding while drinking plenty of water rather than other drinks. Nurses should discourage smoking and drinking excess alcohol since these behaviours contribute to kidney diseases. Moreover, the community should embrace those activities that will help them to relax and thus reduce stress levels (Mcphee, Tierney and Papadakis 900). However, sometimes kidney disease may reach a condition that is commonly referred to as end stage renal disease (ESRD). ESRD is that stage, usually stage five of CKD, where the kidney disease is so severe that it cannot be reversed. This means that at this stage the kidney may not fulfil the requirements of a living person. Thus, end stage renal disease has no specific conventional medical treatments and usually there are only two solutions, which are either dialysis or kidney transplant. Dialysis is a word that is used to refer to different strategies that artificially filter the blood (Mcphee Tierney and Papadakis 935). Those individuals that are assisted by dialysis are kept alive but their freedom is controlled by analysis-based requirements that may include fragile health and dialysis schedule. On the other hand, kidney transplant means that the kidney is completely replaced by a working kidney from another individual commonly referred as a donor. Even though kidney transplant is not absolute cure, it provides initially ill individuals who received the kidney transplant to live as usual e.g. before the kidneys failed (Lewis, Heitkemper and Ruff 1212). However, these individuals should be monitored by a nephrologist and are required to take medication for the rest of their lives. Therefore, because individuals with ERSD have to undergo treatment throughout their lives, it is important that the service that they are provide with is effective, safe, patient centred, efficient, equitable and timely. Nevertheless, the nurses should ensure that they improve data collection in terms of validity, reliability and reporting, this will ensure their position will be known in the community, and thus (kidney patients) provided with appropriate treatment. Moreover, nurses to ensure that the quality of service to the patients is improved can embrace different strategies. Due to many requirements and complications associated with dialysis and kidney transplant i.e. continuously being in hospital, the nurses should ensure that the patients receive utmost service and this can be extent into their homes. The patients within health care should be provide with means for entertainment ensuring that the do not get bored or reflect on their medical conditions (Maher 1112). Additionally, the nurses should provide them with appropriate care while encouraging the communities to embrace these individuals and informing the communities that providing these patients with utmost support and care will result in them (patients) appreciating themselves resulting in self esteem that will contribute to happy living in the rest of their lives (Lewis, Heitkemper and Ruff 1200). Additionally, medication and appropriate medical support will improve quality of life to patients associated with ESRD. This means that the nurses should provide appropriate medication that will not be allergic or result in worsening of the medical conditions. Treatment should appropriately be provided to those conditions that contributes towards or results because of kidney diseases such as cardiovascular complications (Danovitch 414). Appropriate medication doubled with appropriate dietary allocation will result in improvement of patient’s health. Numerous researches have indicated that lowering the amount of proteins consumed sometimes may reduce adversity of kidney related complications. Generally, nurses play major roles within the communities through supporting and providing them appropriate medication. Nurses achieve this through alleviating pain and providing appropriate treatment. Kidney disease requires thorough monitoring by the nurses to ensure that the causative agents are pinpoint, preventive measures are taken and treatment strategies are formulated and implemented. Some common causes of kidney disease are diabetes, glomerulonephilis, high blood pressure, polycystic kidney disease and lifestyle. Therefore, nurses should ensure that the implement strategies and means that will ensure that the patients and communities are protected against causative agents. Prevention strategies may include controlling diabetes, preventing inflammation agents because of glomerulonephilis and controlling high blood pressure. Nevertheless, the communities should be educated on lifestyle factors that contribute towards causing numerous diseases including kidney disease. Those kidney disease related patients who are in End Stage Renal Disease should be provided with appropriate medication to ensure that their condition is improved. The improvement on quality includes providing appropriate medical care, psychological support and provision of all requirements that will assist in the patients obtaining appropriate comfort within appropriate environment. Work Cited Danovitch, Gabriel. Handbook of Kidney Transplantation, 4th Ed. London: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Publishers, 2005. Greenberg, Arthur and Cheung Alfred. Primer on Kidney Disease, 4th Ed. New York: Gulf Professional Publishing, 2005. Lewis, Sharon, Heitkemper Margaret and Ruff Shannon. Medical-Surgical Nursing: Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems. London: Macmillan Publishers, 2004. Mcphee, Stephen, Tierney Lawrence and Papadakis Maxine. Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment. New York: McGraw Hill Professional, 2007. Maher, John. Replacement of Renal Function by Dialysis: a Textbook of Dialysis, 3rd Ed. London: Springer Publishers, 1989. Stein, Jay. Internal Medicine, 5th Ed. New York: Elsevier Health Sciences, 1998. Read More