Hip and Knee Issues - Essay Example

Hip and Knee Issues I chose this service learning area because I work in a knee and hip surgery unit. I felt that I needed a deeper and more introspective assessment of knee and hip surgery in order to be a more engaged and more effective practitioner in this area. I also chose this service learning area because I noticed that incidents of knee and hip surgeries and other injuries which often led to these types of surgeries were increasing in frequency in the past few months during my period of practice in the area. I felt that I might need to improve my skills in this area in order to meet the increasing needs of the community and I might also need to come up with ways in order to reduce the incidents of knee and hip injuries in the community. The community need relates to older adults who often have a higher risk of experiencing knee and hip injuries (Kannus, et.al., 2005). Based on an article by the CDC, one out of three adults aged 65 years and older falls each year; and in this population, falls are the leading cause of injury and death (CDC, 2010). In 2007, there were about 18,000 older adults who died from unintentional falls and the death rates of older adults have risen sharply in the past decade (CDC, 2010). Falls among the elderly covers the population admitted in the hospitals, those dwelling in communities, and those in nursing homes. The above scenario indicates a crucial need for elderly individuals in the community and in the hospitals. There is a need to address their fall risks and their vulnerabilities to hip and knee related injuries. Describe the connection of this agency to community health issues The connection of this agency to community health issues is that the agency or the hospital is very much involved in specialty services which relate to total and partial knee replacement and hip replacement. It has been lauded by different institutions as one of the top medical centers for knee and hip replacement and spine surgery. The agency or hospital is also involved in the knee and hip surgery rehabilitation and other orthopedic rehabilitation services in the US. It has also established a strong and respected reputation in this area. With such a reputation, this hospital would likely play host to various cases of knee and hip injuries and such cases would most likely involve older adults. It is therefore important to maintain the expertise of this hospital in knee and hip injuries in order to ensure adequate services for older adults and to ensure their recovery and return to daily activities after knee and hip surgeries. Learning in the nursing program From the nursing program, I have learned various health teachings in order to prevent falls among the elderly and in order to help the elderly individuals regain mobility after knee and hip injuries. I have learned in the course of the nursing program that due to the wear and tear of the aging process, older adults have brittle bones. With their brittle bones, falls and injuries can often cause fractures (to their hips or their arms). These injuries can often lead to limited mobility and can further deteriorate the quality of their lives. It is therefore important to prevent falls among elderly patients and to ensure an effective rehabilitation process. While being involved with the agency, it is important for me to incorporate the things I have learned in the nursing program to my patients in the hospital. Elderly patients recovering from knee and hip injuries need to be taught about the rehabilitation process they have to undergo after their surgery, how they can slowly regain their mobility, and how they can eventually conduct their daily activities. While caring for these patients, it is also important for me to inform the patients about their risk for experiencing more falls in the future. Their initial fall has now placed them at risk for experiencing more falls in the future – therefore, they need to be taught how to avoid such occurrences and how to modify such risks. How has my opinion about community issues changed through this experience? My opinion about community issues/needs changed through this experience in the sense that I was able to assess that the community is not engaged enough in addressing the issues involving elderly or older adults. I used to think that the community and the hospitals were very much involved in addressing the needs of the elderly – in preventing injuries to them and in addressing their medical concerns as elderly adults. However, I found out that the members of the community do not have enough information about elderly conditions and about their needs and health risks. Therefore, they do not have enough health programs in place in order to prevent knee and hip injuries among the elderly population. Consequently, I now know that it is important for all health practitioners to be more engaged with their communities and to help the latter implement health programs for the elderly. What have I learned from this experience? Emotionally? Nursing knowledge? I have learned that many elderly adults in the community and in the nursing homes do not have enough assistance and information about the possible health risks they now carry in their lives as a result of the ageing process. I have learned also that elderly adults are often depressed during the rehabilitative process following their surgery. Many of them have reached a point in their lives wherein they are ready to die and are ready to embrace the end of their lives. This is a major challenge during the rehabilitative and recovery process following knee and hip surgery. Without adequate willpower, the elderly adults’ rehabilitation would not be successful or would probably take longer. Depression is one of the major issues among elderly adults and it often affects their injury rates and their recovery from injuries and other illnesses (Bergland & Wyller, 2004). I learned however that with an adequate support system from family, friends, and from the health care staff, these elderly adults are more cooperative and more engaged in their rehabilitation. I also found out that there are still a lot of things I do not know about the nursing process – that my nursing knowledge still needs more updating and enriching. With each passing year, more and more nursing knowledge is being introduced into the practice and I need to constantly update myself about the latest in nursing practice. I also need to be very discerning about such knowledge – to assess it based on applicability for each patient based on specific needs and circumstances. This is the hallmark of evidence-based practice – patient-centered or client-based practice (Penz & Bassendowski, 2006). Evidence-based practice allows the nursing practice to be placed in a similar plane with other health professionals and allows the practice to be more scientific (Penz & Bassendowski, 2006). In effect, evidence-based practice in the care of patients has allowed me to improve the quality of the services I render, and at the same time, to improve patient outcomes. What will I take from this experience to develop values and general nursing competence? In order to develop values and general nursing competence, I will take from this experience the crucial impact of depression in the recovery of elderly adults. I have also learned that knee and hip injuries among elderly adults can affect their activities of daily living and losing control over such activities often impacts emotionally on their rehabilitation and recovery. It is therefore important to help these patients regain their normal functions and activities through strength and balance training exercises (Kannus, et.al., 2005). Helping them regain these functions also helps them establish independence and control over their lives. In effect, it helps them maintain their sense of dignity and self-worth (de Lange, 2008). Elderly adults need to have their lives reaffirmed and I found out that this reaffirmation helps to achieve normal patient functions among older adults. The elderly adult patients I encountered were eager to recover their normal functions, to be less dependent and be less of a burden to their loved ones. Works Cited Bergland, A. & Wyller, T. (2004) Risk factors for serious fall related injury in elderly women living at home. Injury Prevention, volume 10, pp. 308-313 De Lange, F. (2009) The Dignity of the Old: Towards a Global Ethic of Ageing. International Journal of Public Theology, volume 3, number 2, pp. 204-221 Falls Among Older Adults: An Overview (2010). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved 30 October 2010 from http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adultfalls.html Kannus, P., Sievanen, H., Palvanen, M., Jarvinen, T., & Parkkari, J. (2005) Prevention of falls and consequent injuries in elderly people. Lancet, volume 366, pp. 1885–93. Retrieved 30 October 2010 from http://www.grg-bs.it/usr_files/eventi/journal_club/programma/falls_lancet.pdf Penz, K. & Bassendowski, S. (2006) Evidence-Based Nursing in Clinical Practice: Implications for Nurse Educators. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, volume 37, number 6 Read More