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Running head: IDENTIFYING A PROBLEM. 1

IDENTIFYING A PROBLEM. 3

Identifying a problem

Name

Institution

Facilitator

Date

Introduction

The clinical environment refers to the aspects that surround nursing or clinical activities. The aim of the research is to illustrate perceptions of the various clinical learning encounters. Often, clinical activities involve the teaching based on patients and the problems that they face. In my previous experiences it came to my attention that there was the tendency of increased patient mortality rate as a result of cardiac arrest as compared to death rate caused by bacterial infections. Therefore, it was essential to develop a PICOT study question that could aid in coming up with responses quickly.

PICOT question

“In patients with more than fifty years of age, how does the rate of patient mortality as a result of cardiac arrest compared to succumbing from bacterial infections influence their risk of death during the hospitalization period.”

Context of observation

Cases of patients suffering from cardiac arrest have been on the rise for the past five years. This can be credited to the change in lifestyles as well as the provision of primary healthcare and creation of awareness to the general public. Symptoms of cardiac arrest are often drastic and immediate, and they can cause death in many instances (Hu,& Willett, 2002). Some of the noticeable symptoms are a sudden collapse, difficult breathing, no pulse, and loss of consciousness. In other cases, the signs may precede sudden cardiac arrest, which may involve fainting, blackouts, dizziness weakness and fatigue. However, it’s worth noting that sudden cardiac arrest occurs without warning.

The immediate cause of cardiac arrest is usually attributed to a sudden change in the heart rhythm, an outcome of the hearts electrical system. Cardiac arrest instances often occur during accidents, extensive training, and various heart conditions such as the coronary artery disease, heart attack, enlarged heart, congenital heart disease and electrical problems in the heart. The problem can be observed in training centers, hospitals, schools, accident scenes and patients with heart-related illnesses.

Impact of cardiac arrest

Sudden cardiac arrest is whereby the cardiac mechanical activity ceases due to hemodynamic collapse, as a result of sustained ventricular fibrillation. A major problem that arises as a result of cardiac arrest is the loss of cognition. Often, patients that suffered from cardiac arrest lost memory for some time before regaining their senses. Also, sudden cardiac arrest can lead to death. In the case that there is no remedy or immediate response to the sudden cardiac arrest, the victim may succumb to death (Hu,& Willett, 2002). Apart from that, an individual can also be incapacitated in the case of a sudden cardiac arrest. Therefore, individuals that have heart problems should be cautious and always ensure proper medical care.

In many instances, patients or people that are prone or likely to suffer from cardiac arrest need special care. Therefore, they engage the health care environment in that; the facilitators are always careful and keen to observe their conditions in short intervals. However, the situation also poses a challenge to the nursing world to establish viable ways of dealing with the issue as well as technological advances that can aid in increasing the chances of survival.

According to literature reviews, it is evident that there has been a relative increase in health care service delivery for cardiac arrest patients. This is attributed to the proper nursing documentation as well as the training programs that ensure nurses are equipped with adequate skills to handle cardiac arrest patients. The patient response is also relatively improving due to the availability of proper care and skilled health care facilitators.

Gravity of cardiac arrest and its significance to nursing

Cardiac arrest has been identified as a primary cause of death for many patients that suffered heart diseases. Also, it has been linked to obesity in both children and adults. Reports further indicate that there is a critical concern to engineer ways to handle patients that are likely to suffer from cardiac arrest. Moreover, it has stirred up more research and study to establish the primary cause and how it can be prevented. Furthermore, there are expected technological inventions that will be used to detect or analyze how much an individual is likely to suffer from cardiac arrest.

The proposed solution to prevent cardiac arrest

The main way of avoiding cardiac arrest is by cutting down on the level of cholesterol intake. This is because, high amounts of cholesterol intake lead to clogging of blood vessels. However, in many cases, the arteries and blood veins are clogged preventing adequate blood and oxygen circulation in the heart. Another proposal is regular exercising. An individual should exercise at least half an hour on a daily basis.is to reduce smoking for smokers, or avoid smoking (Hu,& Willett, 2002). Individuals that smoke are 3-4 times likely to develop plaque in the arteries. Also, individuals should avoid or reduce the emotional stress, since it is also a factor that may contribute to sudden cardiac arrest.

References

Hu, F. B., & Willett, W. C. (2002). Optimal diets for prevention of coronary heart disease. Jama, 288(20), 2569-2578.