PATIENT CARE STUDY
Read the following patient care study and use
your nursing process skills to answer the
questions below.
Scenario:Tisha Brent, age 52, comes to the
clinic complaining of feelings of nervousness
and an inability to sleep. During the health
history, she says, “This past year has been
almost more than I could stand.” She tells you
that in 1 year, her grandmother and father
died, her husband was diagnosed with cancer,
her daughter got a divorce, and her son
became depressed and unable to work. She
believes herself to be, “the strong person in
the family; the one who always takes care of
everyone else.”
Mrs. Brent works full time as a social worker
but is finding it more and more difficult to help
others because of her own worries. She tells
you that she rarely sees her friends anymore
because she must care for her husband. She also
says that she has no appetite, cries often, and
sometimes has trouble catching her breath.
Findings from the physical assessment included
a weight loss of 10 pounds in the past 3
months (with weight 5% below normal for
height), tachycardia, slightly elevated blood
pressure, and hand tremors.
1.What additional questions might you ask to
complete the health history?2.What physical manifestations of stress might
be elicited during the health history and
physical assessment?3.List the nursing diagnoses obtained from your
data.4.List the expected outcomes for Mrs. Brent.5.Mrs. Brent is diagnosed as being in crisis.
What does this mean?6.What are the steps of crisis intervention that
may be used with Mrs. Brent?7.What would you teach Mrs. Brent about
reducing stress through healthy activities of
daily living?
a.Exercise
b.Rest and sleep
c.Nutrition
8.How would you know if Mrs. Brent had
decreased her level of stress and increased her
ability to cope with stressors?296 UNIT VIII PROMOTING HEALTHY PSYCHOSOCIAL RESPONSES
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