Bint Adam

31/01/2022

Pulse Rate

Pulse rate varies with age and gradual slowing occurs with the progression of age. Excitement, restlessness, fear, exercise, and crying cause increase in the heart beat rate. Abnormal increase occurs with fever, haemorrhage, heart conditions, shock, and due to effect of some drugs.
Pulse rate is slow during sleep, rest and relaxation. An abnormal fall in the pulse rate is indicative of increased intracranial pressure, tumour, effects of a drug etc.
Pulse is felt by palpation of an arterial pulsation at the artery and counting of the pulsations per minute.


# gettoknow

26/01/2022

VITAL SIGNS? What comes to mind?

Vital signs are a group of four to six most important medical signs that tell the status of the body's vital functions.

These measurements are taken to help assess the general physical health of a person, give clues to possible diseases and show progress towards recovery.

Vital signs monitoring is a fundermental component of nursing care. A patient's pulse, respiration, blood pressure, body temperature etc are essential in identifying clinical deterioration and must be checked and measured consistently.

How often do you check your vital signs?
Let's discuss the various parameters of vital signs in our next posts!

31/12/2021

🔴 Advantages of Breastfeeding

🔸Breastfeeding provides opportunity for infant-mother attachment

🔸Human milk is available at the required temperature and in required strength

🔸Human milk is easily digested

🔸 The human milk contains increased amount of antibodies which gives immunity to the neonate

🔸Early breastfeeding helps in the rapid involution of the mother's uterus

Breastfeeding is considered ideal for a neonate. Breastmilk is natural ready made food most suitable feed for the baby, Free from contamination.

24/12/2021

Hyperpyrexia In Children.

🔴 Fever is an abnormal elevation of the body temperature. A temperature of above 40°c is called Hyperpyrexia.

🔴 Children with hyperpyrexia may have headache, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite.

They may experience convulsions and delirium.

🔴 If the body temperature is not lowered promptly, it can cause brain damage.

🔴 Hyperpyrexia in children can be as a result of infections, inflammatory diseases, dehydration and adverse effects of immunization.

🔴 Utmost priority should be on reducing the body temperature to normal (36.5°c - 37.2°c). Tepid sponging is a good method of reducing high body temperatures.

Antipyretics like paracetamol can also be given.

🔴A child with Hyperpyrexia needs to be given a lot of fluids.

🔴 Parents must learn to observe their child closely and attend to some other non verbal signals and expressions.

18/12/2021

🔴 Sickle cell Disease comes with a lot of pain and discomforts.

Anything you know about Sickle cell? How can you help your loved ones with Sickle cell?

🔴 Adequate Hydration and pain management is the first line of action in a client with vasocclusive crisis ( sickel cell crisis).

Send a message to learn more

15/12/2021

NON- STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS ( NSAIDs)

🔴 NSAIDs are a group of drugs used for pain, inflammation and fever. Most commonly used pain killers belong to tis group of drugs.

🔴 Some examples of NSAIDs are;
Ibuprofen, aspirin, diclofenac, pirocicam etc.

🔴 NSAIDs are usually not recommended for long term use due to it's serious side effects.

🔴 In prolonged usage, it has the ability to cause GIT irritations. It inhibits the action if important enzymes called CYCLOOXYGENASE 1& 2 ( Cox 1and Cox 2)

🔴 Cox 1 us needed for the protection of the stomach lining and blood clotting. Inhibition of Cox 1 in a prolonged use of NSAIDs can therefore cause disturbance or ulcers in the GIT. People on long-term NSAIDs use are also prone to frequent bleedings that take time to stop.

🔴 Cox 2 is what triggers pain and inflammation ( initiation of healing) when there is an injury.

🔴 Cox 2 selective blockers are the preferred choice in long-term NSAIDs use since they exert the preferred effects.

🔴 NSAIDs are a good choice in pain and inflammation management but in a long-term usage for chronic pains you may talk to your health care providers for some inputs.

🔴 A PPI ( Proton Pump Inhibitor) may be prescribed in addition for someone on a long-term NSAIDs use.

10/12/2021

🔴 Are you Pregnant? Taking some drugs? Are they safe?🔴

During pregnancy, a lot of women take drugs for a lot of reasons.
🔴 You might need to pay attention whether they are safe for you and the baby.

Some drugs pose a risk of causing birth defects in the foetus. Particularly during the first trimester.

🔴 A teratogen is a agent that induces structural malformations by causing destruction of genetic material, cell necrosis etc.

Eg. Radioactive iodine, thalidomide, alcohol etc.

🔴 There are five established categories of drugs suggesting potential teratogenicity. There are ;

A - controlled studies show no risk to the foetus.

B - There is no evidence of risk in humans

C - Risk can not be rulled out

D - There is positive evidence of risk to the human foetus.

X - Known teratogen

To be on the safer side, talk to your health care providers on any drug you intend to take during pregnancy, for whatever reason.

Be responsible during pregnancy.

07/12/2021

🔴 How to take your daily oral contraceptive pills🔴

The daily pills are also called a low dose pill as it contains only a small amount of hormones ( commonly levonorgestrel and ethinylestradiol)
It comes in a blister strip containing 28 tablets. The tablets are taken in the direction of the arrows on the foil.
There are 21 hormone containing tablets ( beige) and 7 hormone free tablets ( brown)
If you miss two or more beige pills, take an emergency contraceptive pill and continue the daily pills the next day. Start a new strip of tablets if you miss two or more brown pills.
Talk to your health care providers for more info and other forms of contraceptives.

06/12/2021

Are you on top of your game? How well do you know your cycle?

The menstrual cycle is one of the most important aspect of a woman's health.
At the hospital, during assessment, diagnosis and treatment planning, your health care providers may need some information or insight on your cycle so they can give you the best treatment.

Is your cycle 28, 30, 35 days?
You should know it by heart!
Own yourself, BE ON TOP OF YOUR GAME.

01/12/2021

IMPORTANT BENEFITS OF FOLIC ACID EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW!

Folic acid is a synthetic form of folate, a B vitamin (vitamin B9). It promotes fetal growth and development, helps prevent preterm birth and congenital abnormalities.
It also helps in tissue and cell growth which makes it very important vitamin in periods of rapid growth and development.
Helps in red blood cells formation so, it's used in preventing anemia (pernicious anemia).
It's also crucial for proper brain function.
Folate occurs in natural foods like citrus fruits, cereals, green vegetables etc.
Take foods rich in folate or a daily supplement of 5 mg folic acid and YOU ARE GOOD TO GO!

28/11/2021

The community in which we live and work have a profound influence on our collective health and well-being. Communities can influence the spread of diseases and also organize ways to combat the spread of diseases.
The health practices of individuals in a community defines the overall health of that particular society. A community can therefore promote practices that contribute to individual and collective health.

Need a healthy community?

How well do you play your health role in your community?

08/11/2021

Final Part❗

🔴 Lozenges: these are solid drug form that is dissolved slowly in the mouth. They are used to treat sore throat and mouth, and coughs due to common cold. They have a pleasant taste and flavour. Lozenges that are compressed like Zubes are called troches while those moulded are called pastilles.

This brings us to the end of our series on drug dosage forms. I hope we all learnt a lot and can now identify various drug dosage forms and call them by their appropriate names. Medaase.