Assignment task:
Dr. Danilo Ocampo is a 74-year-old retired pathologist. He lives in his home with Lydia, his wife of 51 years. Their only child, a son, was killed at age 22 in an automobile crash. Dr. Ocampo was born and raised in the Philippines and came to the United States when he was 23. He is the last living member of his immediate family. He has a few nephews and nieces in the Philippines, but no relatives live nearby.
Dr. Ocampo's health has been declining for the past few years. He has a medical history that includes hypertension, myocardial infarction, angina, and heart failure. Because of these cardiovascular disorders, he takes multiple medications, including metoprolol, lisinopril, furosemide, clopidogrel, atorvastatin, aspirin, and nitroglycerin. Dr. Ocampo understands the pharmaceutical properties of the medications. At times, he is doubtful of the quality of healthcare he receives because of all the medications he has been prescribed. He often does not believe the medications are helpful because he experiences many side effects, and he has been readmitted to the hospital multiple times. Dr. Ocampo usually feels better after a few days in the hospital but typically checks himself out of the hospital before his physicians are ready to discharge him.
Because Lydia has dementia, most of Dr. Ocampo's time and energy are spent managing their household and taking care of her. He has been resistant to outside help, believing he can care for better than anyone else. Dr. Ocampo maintains a consistent schedule, and he and his wife get along quite well. Although at one time in their lives they were very socially active, at this point, they rarely go out.
Dr. Ocampo has become increasingly short of breath and is very fatigued. He notices his legs have become edematous. He goes to the neighborhood drugstore to use the "self-serve" blood pressure machine and finds his blood pressure to be 152/106 mmHg. Dr. Ocampo is resistant to the idea of seeing his physician or going to the ED for fear of being admitted. Instead, he increases the dose of furosemide and lisinopril by one tablet per day and tries to get a bit more rest. A week later when his symptoms fail to improve and seem to worsen slightly, Dr. Ocampo visits his HCP's office and reports his symptoms and increase in medication dosages.
What are the priorities of care for this patient? (List the top 3)
What data would you collect from Dr. Ocampo on initial examination?
Create 2 smart goals for this patient- 1 should be long term and 1 should be short term.
What are 4 nursing interventions for this patient? These should be in priority and address your goals above.