An Overview of Pathophysiology: Appendicitis
The case study in question presents a situation which is quite complicated. On the one hand, the doctors have to deal with a relatively common medical condition; however, there are serious complications that have to be considered. Moreover, there is not a lot of time left for the decision to be made. Afterward, the surgery was performed, the child in question had to be hospitalized and this contributed to the emergence of the second serious problem to consider: the impact of hospitalization. One should keep in mind that the patient is just 10 years old which means that this experience may have a significant experience in one’s development. Another point to be mentioned is that the family is also affected by this hospitalization. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the nurse to make sure that the staff does everything possible to alleviate the negative consequences of hospitalization. This paper will present an overview of pathophysiology that can be witnessed in this situation and reflect on how nursing can be useful in this situation.An Overview of Pathophysiology: Appendicitis
Description of pathophysiology
To begin with, one should focus on the major health condition that was diagnosed. In this case, it is appendicitis. According to Hansson, Körner, Ludwigs, Johnsson, Jönsson and Lundholm (2012), this health condition denotes inflammation of appendix which is a tube that is connected to the cecum. Appendicitis can be acute (as presented in the case) and chronic. The inflammation can cause a burst and can potential be fatal. On average, appendicitis occurs between 10 and 30 years. As the case suggests, one of the major symptoms of health condition is a pain in the abdomen. Hua, Yao, He, Xu, and Song (2015) report that it can be localized as in the text: in right iliac fossa. Other symptoms may include swelling, vomiting, and fever. There is a considerable number of tests that are able to help the doctor to determine whether a person has appendicitis or not. In the case, this diagnosis was proved by the tests and a surgery was performed.
It is also worth pointing out that appendicitis can have various complications and some of them were mentioned in the text. The first of them is gangrenous nature. Chaudhary, Kumar, Saxena, and Biswal (2013) report that the tissue of appendix may lose blood and dies, starting the necrosis. As a result, the entire part will be affected by this process. The surgeons will not have any other way, but to remove it completely. There is another complication that is mentioned in the text. Thus, the case shows that appendicitis was not only gangrenous, but also perforated. This means that the tissue of appendix was torn and it was not functioning properly. It goes without saying that if appendicitis is both gangrenous and perforated, the only medical option is to remove it completely in order to make sure that it does not put the entire organism at risk.An Overview of Pathophysiology: Appendicitis
Furthermore, one should also keep in mind that appendicitis was not the only medical condition that are identified in the text. The case shows that the patient also had peritonitis. Branescu, Serban, Dascãlu, Oprescu, and Savlovschi (2013) state that this condition is manifested in the inflammation of peritoneum which is a special tissue that covers the organs of humans. In spite of the fact that it may occur independently, it is quite likely that the occurrence of it in the case was triggered by appendicitis. The major symptoms of the health condition in question include pain and swelling. The recommended treatment involved antibiotics, just like there were prescribed in the case. It is worth pointing out that once the source of the problem (namely, the appendix) was removed, all health conditions that are associated will be carefully handled. With all this in mind, it is possible to assume that the health of Anne is no longer at risk.
The role of nursing
Growth and developmental theories
There is a large number of theories that explore the development of a human. For the purposes of this paper, only one of them was chosen: Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development. This theory included eight stages that describe the period of life of a person from infancy to senior age (Dunkel, Kim, and Papini, 2012). It is suggested that people move through them, without being fixed which means that one does not have to master particular skills to move: it all comes with age. Erikson’s theory has been heavily influenced by the theory of Freud; however, the former has surpassed the latter in complexity and has developed a slightly different vision of the issue. Thus, unlike Freud who believed that if personality development was influenced negatively at a particular stage, one will develop a certain fixation, Erikson believed that regardless of the experience, a person progresses through the stages.
According to the text, Anne is 10-years-old which means that she is at stage four. Hearn, Saulnier, Strayer, Glenham, Koopman, and Marcia (2012) state that this stage is characterized by a conflict that focuses on competency: the child is trying to understand whether one is able to develop a sufficient competency that will allow one to survive in the world. That is why the major emphasis is played on various skills that the child is trying to master in order to prove that one can become a full member of the social environment.
So, the role of a nurse under these conditions is to ensure that the child does not suffer from low self-confident because of the health condition. It is crucial to explain that appendicitis is not something that Anne should blame herself for and that her hospitalization is not likely to have any negative consequences on her competence. As a result, she is expected not to worry about this experience which will contribute to her getting well.An Overview of Pathophysiology: Appendicitis
Family centered care
Family centered care is yet another important concept to be mentioned. The nurse must understand that family ties can be particularly important, especially under such conditions (Kuo, Houtrow, Arango, Kuhlthau, Simmons, and Neff, 2012). This means that the nurse must not interfere with the family communication and make sure that the family member is able to spend time with each other as long as needed. Therefore, by no means, the access of the family members to Anne should be restricted, unless this was specifically prohibited for medical reasons.
Another significant aspect to be mentioned with this regard is the need of information. It is quite understandable that being only 10-years-old, Anne is not able to make conscious decisions about her health. That is why it is useless to provide important medical information to her. So, it is the parents who should receive the information. Given the dangerous nature of her condition, it is crucial to make sure that the family receives all the information that it needs.
Furthermore, it is suggested that family centered care also involves the need for reassurance. This may be particularly important under the conditions like those mentioned in the case when the health of a person was at great risk (Meert, Clark, and Eggly, 2013). Therefore, the nurse is expected to reassure bother the patient and the family that the crisis is over and there is nothing to worry about. Moreover, one may also put emphasis on the fact that though come complications may occur, the staff does everything to avoid them.
Finally, one should note that proper family centered care cannot be performed without proper acknowledgment of the diversity. The case says nothing about the cultural background of the girl or her parents directly, but it has been noted that the latter own and run an Indian restaurant. It is highly unlikely that they would own and run an Indian restaurant if they were not Indian. That is why one might assume that the peculiarities of Indian culture may be present in this situation.An Overview of Pathophysiology: Appendicitis
Effects of hospitalization of the child on the child and the family
It is crucial to keep in mind that hospitalization of the child may have a considerable negative impact on one’s physiological as well as psychological well-being. To begin with, it is highly probable that Anne will be scared and depressed after the surgery (Tyson, Bohl, and Blickman, 2014). This means that the nurses should do their best to make sure that the little patient receives the needed amount of care. Furthermore, it is quite understandable that hospitalization will ruin the daily routine of the child. It is not stated whether this occurred during the academic year or not, but one is clear: spending a week and a half in the hospital will be something that Anne will have to deal with. Therefore, the nurses will be expected to help her to spend this time.
It is also essential to approach the issue of hospitalization from another point of view, namely the way in which it will affect the family. Thus, Thunberg, Törnhage, and Nilsson (2016) insist that the parents are likely to worry a lot about the health of their daughter and will not be able to live productively before she gets well. Therefore, the nurses should do their best to explain that the process of getting well is continuous and they should not expect quite results right away. Furthermore, it is essential to keep in mind that in the absence of Anne at home, the family structure will be disrupted. The case reports that she is the oldest of the five children and it is quite possible that she may have help the parents to look after them. Therefore, since she is no longer able to perform her duties, the family might experience certain problems.
Conclusion
Having examined all the points that were mentioned in the paragraphs above, one is able to come to the following conclusion: the situation that is described in the case is quite complex. On the one hand, the little girl suffers from a health condition that features several complications. On the other hand, the nurses are expected to understand all the aspects of the situation and do their best to make sure that hospitalization does not bring up negative results. This can be achieved in a number of ways. To begin with, the nurses should identify the developmental stage that Anne is currently at and help her to deal with the problems that she may be facing. Family centered care principles should be applied to nursing in this care. Finally, the effect of hospitalization on the child and the family should be considered.
References
Branescu, C., Serban, D., Dascãlu, A. M., Oprescu, S. M., & Savlovschi, C. (2013). Interleukin 6 and lipopolysaccharide binding protein—markers of inflammation in acute appendicitis. Chirurgia, 108(2), 206-214.An Overview of Pathophysiology: Appendicitis
Chaudhary, P., Kumar, A., Saxena, N., & Biswal, U. C. (2013). Hyperbilirubinemia as a predictor of gangrenous/perforated appendicitis: a prospective study. Annals of gastroenterology: quarterly publication of the Hellenic Society of Gastroenterology, 26(4), 325.
Dunkel, C. S., Kim, J. K., & Papini, D. R. (2012). The general factor of psychosocial development and its relation to the general factor of personality and life history strategy. Personality and Individual Differences, 52(2), 202-206.
Hansson, J., Körner, U., Ludwigs, K., Johnsson, E., Jönsson, C., & Lundholm, K. (2012). Antibiotics as first-line therapy for acute appendicitis: evidence for a change in clinical practice. World journal of surgery, 36(9), 2028-2036.
Hearn, S., Saulnier, G., Strayer, J., Glenham, M., Koopman, R., & Marcia, J. E. (2012). Between integrity and despair: Toward construct validation of Erikson’s eighth stage. Journal of Adult Development, 19(1), 1-20.
Hua, J., Yao, L., He, Z. G., Xu, B., & Song, Z. S. (2015). Necrotizing fasciitis caused by perforated appendicitis: a case report. International journal of clinical and experimental pathology, 8(3), 3334.An Overview of Pathophysiology: Appendicitis