Alterations in Body Systems

Clients can experience a variety of alterations in body systems when they are ill. You should be able to monitor and assess these changes, and implement and explain appropriate interventions to clients.

You should understand the most common therapeutic activities, which include:

• Assessing tube drainage when a client has an alteration in a body system (e.g., whether the amount of fluid increased or decreased, whether the color of the fluid changed)
• Monitoring and maintaining a client on a ventilator
• Maintaining desired temperature using external devices
• Implementing and monitoring phototherapy
• Providing ostomy care
• Providing care to clients who have experienced a seizure
• Assisting with invasive procedures (central line placement, biopsy, debridement)
• Performing peritoneal dialysis
• Providing pulmonary hygiene (chest physiotherapy, spirometry)
• Performing oral nasopharyngeal suctioning
• Suctioning via an endotracheal or a tracheostomy tube
• Performing tracheostomy care
• Providing care for clients experiencing increased intracranial pressure

Providing wound care includes assisting in or performing dressing changes and removal of sutures or staples, monitoring wounds for signs and symptoms of infection, and promoting client wound healing through turning, hydration, nutrition, and skin care. In surgical cases, wound care may also include monitoring and maintaining devices and equipment used for drainage, such as chest tube suction.

It is important to identify signs of potential prenatal complications, and to provide care for clients experiencing complications from pregnancy, labor, and delivery (such as eclampsia, precipitous labor, or hemorrhage). You should also be able to assess a client’s response to surgery and provide postoperative care.

In a more general sense, you should be able to educate clients about managing their health problem, whether it’s a chronic illness such as diabetes or appropriate post-stroke care. Your efforts should promote progress toward recovery, and you should be able to evaluate whether the client has successfully achieved treatment goals.