GH HEALTH

 ASTHMA   Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition of the airways that causes episodic exacerbations of bronchoconstriction . Bronchoconstriction is where the smooth muscles of the airways (the bronchi) contract causing a reduction in the diameter of the airways. Narrowing of the airways causes an obstruction to airflow going in and out of the lungs.  In asthma there is  reversible airway obstruction that typically responds to bronchodilators such as salbutamol . This bronchoconstriction is caused by hypersensitivity of the airways and can be triggered by environmental factors.   Typical Triggers Infection Night time or early morning Exercise Animals Cold/damp Dust Strong emotions   Presentation Suggesting a Diagnosis of Asthma Episodic symptoms Diurnal variability. Typically worse at night. Dry cough with wheeze and shortness of breath A history of other atopic conditions such as eczema, hayfever and food allergies Family history Bi...

 PNEUMONIA   Pneumonia is simply an infection of the lung tissue. It causes inflammation of the lung tissue and sputum filling the airways and alveoli. Pneumonia can be seen as consolidation on a chest xray . Classification If the pneumonia developed outside of hospital it is labeled labelled “ community acquired pneumonia ”. If it develops more than 48h after hospital admission it is labelled “ hospital acquired pneumonia ”. If it develops as a result of aspiration , meaning after inhaling foreign material such as food, then it is labelled “ aspiration pneumonia ”.   Presentation Shortness of breath Cough productive of sputum Fever Haemoptysis (coughing up blood) Pleuritic chest pain (sharp chest pain worse on inspiration) Delirium (acute confusion associated with infection) Sepsis   Signs There may be a derangement in basic observations. These can indicate sepsis secondary to the pneumonia: Tachypnoea (raised respiratory rate) Tachycardia (raised he...

  Nursing Informatics and Nurse Informatics: A Career Guide How does one become a nurse informatics and have a career in nursing informatics?     Attracted to a career in nursing informatics and believe you have the skills, interests, and abilities? Are you comfortable with computers and technology? Are you an electronic health record (EHR) superuser – the first nurse on the floor who “gets” changes and ends up teaching the others? Do you often have ideas about how hardware and software could be developed to make it easier for nurses to use or to improve patient care? If this is you, a career in nursing informatics might be your niche! Taking the plunge could be a step in the right direction for growing your career. Nursing informatics is a nursing specialty that not only pays well but has varied opportunities and for which there is a growing demand in the face of rapidly evolving technology. Nursing informatics is a challenging and exciting specialty comb...