Joe’s Surgery Case Study

You are an RN in the paediatric short-stay unit. Upon arrival this morning, you were given a brief handover of Joe, a 6-year-old boy, who was allocated to you. Joe was admitted yesterday through the emergency department following a three-day history of fever, ear pain, vomiting and difficulties in swallowing. A diagnosis of severe tonsilitis was made, and this was his third admission following the same diagnosis. Joe has been on intravenous (IV) antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications and IV fluids in the last 24 hours. This morning, during the routine ward rounds, Joe was re-examined and was found to be drooling, with moderate respiratory distress. A second diagnosis of a peritonsillar abscess was made and he was scheduled for a quinsy tonsillectomy in 4 hours. His observations are temperature 39.3 °C, heart rate = 139 beats per minute, oxygen saturation 91% on room air, respiratory rate = 34 breaths per minute, blood pressure = 95/72mmhg, capillary refill < 2 seconds, and responsive to voice. Joe also has a mild autism disorder diagnosed when he was 2 years old and he does not like noise. His family immigrated from Vietnam before he was born. His mother, who came with him to the hospital, struggles to communicate in English. His father is a cargo truck driver and is currently out of the city. 

Based on the above scenario, discuss the pathophysiology of the presenting condition, the assessments, management and health promotion considerations for Joe and his family prior to surgery

Assignment guidelines

Formatting instructions

• All content should be presented in the essay format following the School of Nursing & Midwifery guidelines.
• Ensure that you present well developed formal paragraphs and headings, line spacing (including your references) font size , that align with the SNM assignment guidelines.
• Format the essay with relevant headings representing the assignment sections (as given below).
• The assignment must flow smoothly, read logically and be as succinct and precise as possible. Ensure that each section is discussed within the essay, showing the depth of knowledge and understanding of the topic under discussion, critical thinking, evidence and content coverage.  Please write in third person/ impersonal/ objective.
• Please use academic English writing style with good grammar/spellings (this is an English Language Proficiency (ELP) specified unit).
• You are expected to submit a word document.
• The maximum word count for this assessment is 1300 (plus or minus 10%)

Assignment presentation

Your assessment is expected to have the following 5 sections:

Introduction (approx 100 words)

Please provide a general introduction to the paper. Set up the paper by telling the reader what is being answered succinctly. Include the following: a definition to presenting condition, prevalence of the condition, an overview of the case study and give a clear direction to you essay (signpost).

Pathophysiology (approx 250 words)

In this section, describe the pathophysiology of the presenting diagnosis (es) (diagnosis [es] for this admission and management) and include the etiology of the relatable presenting symptoms

Nursing assessments and management (approx. 900 words)

In this section, discuss the assessments (Paediatric Assessment Tool and/or Primary Assessment Framework) you will undertake to prioritise and manage care for Joe. Discuss the nursing considerations while incorporating the child and family centred care in the assessment strategies and management actions and provide examples where applicable. Discuss the potential and actual nursing assessment findings: what range of assessments (or preparations) would be required and what appropriate assessment tools or frameworks e.g. Paediatric Assessment Tool and/or Primary Assessment Framework will  you utilise/would be used. Consider any potential changes e.g. deterioration/recovery and how this would impact the care provided. You should identify, consider and briefly discuss the nursing management relevant to Joe. This section should demonstrate your critical thinking skills while applying evidence-informed practice. Students should also incorporate any holistic health considerations and rationales to demonstrate critical thinking.

Health promotion (100)

You should discuss the actions and strategies you would put in place to promote Joe’s health and that of his family before surgery.

Conclusion (approx 50 words)

Provide an overview of the assignment and the primary relevant    points identified. No new material should be introduced.

Note: The proposed breakdown of word count across the sections is suggestive only.

Referencing

Your in-text and end-text referencing style should follow ECU’s referencing guidelines – APA 7^th edition style. A minimum of 10 current and credible academic references (peer-reviewed journal articles,  scholarly books and credible websites) is expected. Accepted academic peer-reviewed journal articles for this assessment should not be older than five years and scholarly books up to 10 years old are accepted. Credible resources include evidence-based research and best practice guidelines (Australian and international if relevant, e.g. World Health Organisation). Patient information sources, public access medical websites designed for non-health professionals, eg. eMedicine, MayoClinic, BetterHealthChannel, GPNotes, medical dictionary, Wikipedia, dictionary.com will not be accepted as academic references. All references need to be from reputable sources. Do not use lecture notes as references.