Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this module you will be able to:
1) Compare and contrast the aetiology, pathophysiology and clinical signs/symptoms of persons experiencing the following medical disorders:
- Respiratory: COPD [i.e. asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema] and respiratory infections [i.e. pneumonia, tuberculosis]
- Cardiovascular: Coronary artery disease, acute coronary syndromes, heart failure, hypertension and peripheral arterial
diseases affecting the aorta and lower limbs
2) Critically discuss the delivery, administration, side-effects, contra-indications and nursing considerations of specific
respiratory/cardiovascular drugs
3) Discuss the systematic and comprehensive assessment of a patient with altered respiratory and cardiovascular health status
and associated diagnostic tests
4) Critically appraise the use of NANDA-I as a decision support framework for respiratory and cardiovascular nursing diagnoses
and identify related nursing outcomes and interventions
5) Critically discuss respiratory/cardiovascular clinical outcome measurement tools used to evaluate the quality and standard of
nursing care:
- Respiratory: Modified Borg Breathlessness Scale, Baseline Dyspnoea Index, CATest
- Cardiovascular: Pain assessment likert scale, New York Heart Association Functional Classification
- NOC: Clinical indicator likert scales
6) Critically discuss the required knowledge and skill necessary to educate patients on the following:
- Nebuliser and Inhaler technique and strategies to promote self-management
- Measurement of peek expiratory flow rates and self-management plans
- Bronchoscopy and Media-steinoscopy and associated pre and post nursing care
- Self-mangagement of their cardiovascular condition e.g. lifestyle modifications required to improve heart health.
7) Differentiate between different types of pneumothoraces and pleural effusions and explain the underlying aetiology and
pathyophysiology.
8) Critically discuss the management of a triple chamber underwater sealed chest drain, including monitoring, interpretation of
chest drain observations and required nursing actions/interventions
9) Critically discuss the diagnostic investigations used to differentiate between cardiovascular conditions
Indicative Module Content:
Cardiovascular content
- Anatomy and physiology of the heart revision
- Cardiovascular disease: the problem
- Cardiovascular assessment and investigations
- Introduction to cardiovascular circulation disorders
- Introduction to conduction disorders of the heart
- Introduction to altered cardiac muscle disorders
- Introduction to altered cardiac valvular and inflammatory disorders
- Introduction to cardiovascular surgery
-NANDA, NOC, NIC and cardiovascular disease
- Introduction to vascular disease
- Introduction to cardiac rehabilitation
- Patient education and cardiovascular disease
Respiratory content
- Ventilation, perfusion, diffusion
-Introduction to respiratory drugs
-Patient education and self-management strategies: Inhalers, nebulisers, peak flow meters
- Restrictive vs obstructive lung diseases.
- Introduction to COPD (i.e., chronic bronchitis, emphysema) and GOLD Guidelines
- Introduction to asthma and GINA Guidelines
- Introduction to respiratory infections: Pneumonia, TB
- Patient education and self-management strategies: inhalers, nebulisers, peak expiratory flow meters
- Respiratory assessment and diagnostic tests
- Respiratory nursing diagnoses & collaborative problems
- Respiratory interventions
- Respiratory outcomes measures and evaluation of care
- Pleural effusion, thoracentesis, chest trauma, pneumothorax, pleurodesis
- Management of a triple chamber chest drain system