1.What patient teaching should be implemented
to help meet the hygienic needs of Ms. Dela-
mordo?2.What would be a successful outcome for this
patient?3.What intellectual, technical, interpersonal,
and/or ethical/legal competencies are most
likely to bring about the desired outcome?4.What resources might be helpful for
Ms. Delamordo and her daughter?PATIENT CARE STUDY
Read the following patient care study and
use your nursing process skills to answer the
questions below.
Scenario:Dominic Gianmarco, a 78-year-old
retired man with a history of Parkinson’s
disease, lives alone in a small home. He was
recently hospitalized for problems with cardiac
rhythm, and a pacemaker was installed. The
home healthcare nurse visits 1 week after he
was discharged to monitor his recovery and
compliance with his medication regimen. The
nurse observes that Mr. Gianmarco is disheveled
and there are multiple stains on his clothing.
Several food items are in various stages of prepa-
ration on the kitchen counter, and some appear
to have spoiled. Mr. Gianmarco has several
days’ growth of beard and a body odor is appar-
ent. He is pleasant and oriented to place andperson but cannot identify the time or day of
the week: “I lose track of what day it is. Time is
not important when you are my age. The most
important thing to me right now is to be able to
take care of myself and stay in this house near
my friends.” There is a walker visible in a
corner of the living room, but Mr. Gianmarco
ambulates slowly around the house with a mini-
mum of difficulty and does not use the walker.
He comments that he keeps busy “reading,
watching old movies, and going to senior
citizen activities with friends who stop by for
me.” His daughter, who lives several hours
away, visits him every weekend and prepares his
medications for the week in a plastic container
that is easy for him to open. The nurse observes
that all the medications appeared to have been
taken to date: “I don’t mess around with my
medicines. One helps my ticker and the others
keep me from shaking so much.”
1.Identify pertinent patient data by placing a
single underline beneath the objective data in
the case study and a double underline beneath
the subjective data.
2.Complete the Nursing Process Worksheet on
page 193 to develop a three-part diagnostic
statement and related plan of care for this
patient.
3.Write down the patient and personal nursing
strengths you hope to draw upon as you assist
this patient to better health.
Patient strengths:Personal strengths:4.Pretend that you are performing a nursing
assessment of this patient after the plan of
care is implemented. Document your findings.192 UNIT VII PROMOTING HEALTHY PHYSIOLOGIC RESPONSES
Copyright © 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Study Guide for Fundamentals of Nursing:LWBK696-C31_p186-193.qxd 9/4/10 1:58 AM Page 192 MCGH146-c01_1-26.qxd