3 Examples Of Skilled Nursing Patient Needs
Posted on: 10 October 2019
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When most people think of care facilities, they consider elderly individuals who can no longer care for themselves. However, care facilities are common settings for skilled nursing practitioners who provide care for other purposes as well. Patients who enter a care facility for skilled nursing care can have a vast listing of different ailments, but they will all need professional medical attention from registered nurses. Here is a look at some of the common examples of when patients may need to enter a nursing home to be overseen by a skilled staff of nurses.
The patient requires feedings with a tube.
When an individual's health is so bad that they can no longer feed themselves or take food in the natural way, a feeding tube is often placed so the patient gets the nutrition they need to stay alive. Unfortunately, having a feeding tube means that a nurse should be present to monitor and perform feedings on a scheduled basis. Even though some patients are sent home with feeding ports eventually, while the tube itself is being used, it is best if they are monitored by nursing staff members.
The patient requires frequent or complex wound dressing.
Many wound dressings can be achieved at home by just about anyone, but there are some situations when a skilled nurse must be present to perform wound dressings because the wound is so complex or severe. For example, a gunshot wound that has a drainage tube in it to pull out excess fluids may have to be in a care facility with skilled nursing practitioners because their wound drainage tube has to be closely monitored until they reach a certain point in their healing process. In some cases, patients who are extremely prone to infection may have to be in a care facility under skilled nursing supervision as well.
The patient requires around-the-clock attention due to declining health.
In some situations, patients need skilled nursing care specifically because they have a poor health condition that is getting worse. These patients may have a chronic disease or illness, and they must have someone with them around the clock to tend to their medical needs. For example, an elderly individual who has had a severe stroke and their bodily organs are slowly stopping functioning would need someone to tend to them all day and night and monitor their condition. A care facility setting is ideal for this kind of situation. Speak with someone who provides skilled nursing services for more information.