Faye abdellah’s 21 nursing problems

1. To maintain good hygiene and physical comfort – After colonoscopy, patients are usually soiled from the procedure.
It is therefore important to clean them properly and change their diapers if applicable. Physical comfort through proper
positioning in bed, adjusting the air-conditioning unit, as well as proper lighting are also provided to the patient,
especially if they were sedated and have to stay in the unit.

2. To promote optimal activity: exercise, rest, and sleep – Patients who were sedated during the procedure stay in the
unit until the effect of the sedation has decreased to a safe level. During this time, patients are allowed to stay in the
room and rest. As a nurse, I make sure the patients are able to rest and sleep well by providing a conducive
environment for rest, such as decreasing environmental noise and dimming the light if necessary.

3. To promote safety through prevention of accident, injury, or other trauma and through the prevention of the spread of
infection – Making sure the siderails are always up when leaving the patient keeps them from fall accidents. In our unit,
one way we prevent the spread of infection is through proper disinfection of the equipments we use. We use products
such as Cidezime to disinfect the instruments.

4. To maintain good body mechanics and prevent and correct deformity – Positioning the patient properly, allowing for
the normal anatomical position of body parts.

5. To facilitate the maintenance of a supply of oxygen to all body cells – when patients manifest breathing problems,
oxygen is attached to them, usually via nasal cannula. Sedated patients are attached to cardiac monitor and pulse
oximeter while having the oxygen delivered. When the oxygen saturation falls below the normal levels, the rate of
oxygen is increased accordingly, as per physician's order.

6. To facilitate the maintenance of nutrition of all body cells – patients undergoing endoscopic procedures are on NPO.
For this reason it is important to monitor the blood glucose level through HGT. When the patient's blood glucose falls
from the normal value, we inject D50W to the patient or we change the patient's IVF to a dextrose containing fluid.

7. To facilitate the maintenance of elimination – Providing bedpans or urinals to patients and at times, insertion of foley
catheter when the patient is not able to void

8. To facilitate the maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance – Proper regulation of the intravenous solutions as well
as proper incorporations it may have. An example is when patients have low serum potassium, KCl is incorporated in
the solution

9. To recognize the physiological responses of the body to disease conditions—pathological, physiological, and
compensatory – it is important to check the patients for signs of internal gastrointestinal bleeding by monitoring the
blood pressure and cardiac rate.

10. To facilitate the maintenance of regulatory mechanisms and functions – When a patient has a difficulty in breathing
and is showing an increase respiratory rate, elevating the head part of the bed is done to facilitate the respiratory
function.

11. To facilitate the maintenance of sensory function – Sometimes there are semi-conscious patients, in these cases, it is
still necessary to talk to them while performing nursing interventions to maintain their auditory sense

12. To identify and accept positive and negative expressions, feelings, and reactions – most patients feel anxious before
undergoing the procedures. It is necessary to listen to the patients' expressions and allow them to ask questions. To
decrease their anxiety, proper instructions are given, what they are to expect, how long the procedure will take, what
they should do during and after the procedure as well as other concerns.

13. To identify and accept interrelatedness of emotions and organic illness – Encourage patients to verbalize their
feelings and allow them to cry when they have the need to do so will help them emotionally. Some patients are
diagnosed with malignancy after the procedure and during this time the emotional needs of the patient is a priority.

14. To facilitate the maintenance of effective verbal and nonverbal communication – when patients are not able to
express themselves verbally, it is important to assess for nonverbal cues. For instance when patients are in pain,
assessing for facial grimacing. Touch and eye contact are also done for a good patient care.

15. To promote the development of productive interpersonal relationships – allow the patient's significant others to stay
with the patient before and after the procedure. This allows for bonding and promotes interpersonal relationship.
16. To facilitate progress toward achievement of personal spiritual goals – our supervisor is a nun and she usually visits
the patients in the unit. Catholic patients may benefit from this, allowing them time to practice their faith

17. To create and/or maintain a therapeutic environment - providing proper lighting, proper room temperature, a quiet
environment are done to patients staying in the unit.

18. To facilitate awareness of self as an individual with varying physical, emotional, and developmental needs – care to
patients vary according to their developmental needs. Allowing the parents to stay during the procedure help the
pediatric patients in their emotional and developmental needs.

19. To accept the optimum possible goals in the light of limitations, physical, and emotional – The goals for each
patient vary depending on the capability of the patient. The nutritional goal for a patient with a PEG tube for instance
will be different, knowing that the patient has limited feeding options.

20. To use community resources as an aid in resolving problems arising from illness – Some patients live far from the
city and thus referral to health centers is sometimes done

21. To understand the role of social problems as influencing factors in the cause of illness – Some patients who are
diagnosed with amoebic colitis for instance are advised to avoid buying street foods to which the preparation they are
not sure of, and also avoid drinking water that are not safe.

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