Nursing Considerations and Patients with Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension and Renal Disease - Research Paper Example

To improve the student’s ability to develop and conduct effective health teachings based on the patient’s health condition.
Teaching Topic based on Medical-Surgical Issue related to Type II Diabetes, Hypertension, and Renal Disease
After finding a quiet place with no distractions to teach the elderly patient, the nurse should inform the patient that these three diseases can be controlled by changing their eating habits and lifestyle. Since hypertension and type II diabetes is caused by eating habits and lifestyle issues, health teachings should include a proper meal plan which focuses on consistent and regulated intake of the following: (1) calories and carbohydrates based on the patient’s age, gender, body weight, and height; (2) vitamins; (3) minerals; (4) increased fiber; (5) low sodium diet; and (6) moderate sugar depending on the patient’s blood glucose level.
It is equally important to encourage the patient to lessen or stop the habit of smoking (nicotine), drinking alcohol, and avoid stressful situations which could lead to the increase of blood pressure (Johnson, 2004, p. 432). Instead of
practicing unhealthy lifestyles, nurses should encourage the patient to participate in physical activities like walking.
Aside from teaching the importance of the right dose, right time, and right medication; the nurse should teach the patient how to use the glucose monitoring system and how to obtain blood pressure.
Patient’s Learning Style
Depending on the patient’s age, nurses should consider the patient’s physical maturation, cognitive abilities, and psychosocial development when conducting health teaching (Habel, 2007). Although the patient is well-educated and prefers all learning styles; the nurse should always consider the age factor and readiness to learn. Since the patient is 65-year old, there is a possibility that the patient is experiencing a learning barrier related to loss of hearing. In this case, the nurse should consider the idea of allowing the patient to read the health-related materials.
The patient’s readiness to learn is an important factor behind the success of a nurse’s health teachings. In case the patient is not interested in learning due to physical discomfort such as pain, the nurse should take more time to teach the patient health information in short detail.
Two Nursing Diagnosis Pertinent to the Patient’s Health Condition
Pertinent to the patient’s health condition, nursing diagnosis may include high random blood glucose levels of more than 200 mg/dL due to type II diabetes (Johnson, 2004, p. 286). For chronic renal failure, the nursing diagnosis will include excessive fluid volume caused by sodium and water retention (decreasing the patient’s urine output) (Johnson, 2004, p. 677).
Evaluation
To prove that allowing the patient to read nurse’s health teaching materials was effective, the nurse should request the elderly patient to demonstrate the appropriate way of measuring the blood pressure and blood glucose level aside from allowing him to discuss the importance of a balanced diet, alcohol and tobacco restriction, and exercise. Based on the patient’s ability to learn, the nurse should develop alternative teaching styles to enhance his learning capabilities.