Priorit Oxygen Therapy: A Case Study

Contrary to popular belief, nurses have a lot more responsibility in care and monitoring of patients, other than just carrying out orders by clinicians. Nurses are on the front lines of interacting with the patients and monitoring health status and the effectiveness of interventions. Critical thinking, communication, assessment, and technical skills are all necessary for the success of nurses and the improved health of patients. It is important to always be aware of what is going on. As a student nurse, it can be hard to remember this, as the stress of carrying out multiple, sometimes first-time medical interventions can be overwhelming. It is easy to get distracted, forget information, and become anxious. I keep myself on track by keeping a list, practicing positive self-care, staying in constant communication with my preceptors and peers, and keeping the patient’s health and wellbeing the
Oxygen is of life-saving importance in the treatment of COPD. Lung function impairment is poorly reversible; therefore, treatment strategies must be aimed at stabilizing the disease progression (Simmons & Simmons, 2004). In advanced COPD, like the patient at Fairview Southdale, hypoxemic and/or hypercapnic respiratory failure may develop and may be treated with long-term oxygen therapy (Simmons & Simmons, 2004). In general, low flow rates via nasal cannula are recommended (Simmons & Simmons, 2004). At times, however, masks with high flow may be needed. The patient was unable to maintain adequate oxygen levels on nasal cannula, so to prevent hypoxia, administering oxygen via mask was necessary. Regardless of method of administration, oxygen flow rates should be titrated to achieve the desired oxygen level. To prevent adverse effects from chronic hypoxia, the patient will need to be closely monitored, adjusting her oxygen amount and equipment as