MEDICAL NURSING I

RGN 213
BY SISTER EMELIA MILLS
RULES FOR THE CLASS
 NO LATENESS

 ALL PHONES SHOULD BE OFF

 NO ABSENTISM WITHOUT PERMISSION

 WHEN TEACHING DO NOT TELL ME IT

IS TIME
COURSE OBJECTIVES (RGN)
By the end of the course the student will
1. Describe the various methods of assessing
patients.
2. Perform physical assessment on patients.
3. Manage patients with fluid and electrolyte
imbalance and nutritional disorders.
4. Describe common communicable diseases
5. Manage common communicable diseases.
COURSE OBJECTIVES(RGN)
6.Describe sexually transmitted
infections(STI’s) including HIV/AIDS.
7.Give healthy talks on sexually
transmitted infections including
HIV/AIDS.
8.Manage STI’S including HIV/AIDS.
COURSE OBJECTIVES (RM)
By the end of the course, the
student will be able to:
 Perform physical assessment on

patient.
 Manage patients with fluid and

electrolytes imbalances
COURSE OBJECTIVES (RM)
 Describe and manage common
communicable diseases
 Manage disease conditions of the

various systems of the body

 Describe changes and problems

associated with aging

 Develop skills to care for the aged
FORMAT FOR PRESENTATION
 Definition
 Types of the condition
 Mode of transmission
 Causative organism
 Incubation period
 Incidences
 Predisposing factors
FORMAT FOR PRESENTATION
 Causes
 Pathophysiology
 Clinicalfeatures/clinical
manifestations/signs and
symptoms
 Diagnostic investigations
 Nursing management
 Medical treatment
FORMAT FOR PRESENTATION
 Prevention and control
 Complications
 Rehabilitation
 Reference
GENERAL TERMS RELATED TO
MEDICINE
TERMS
 MEDICINE: is the treatment of disease
both externally and internally without
surgical intervention.

 HEALTH: it is a state of complete

physical, mental and social wellbeing,
and not merely the absence of disease
or infirmity.
 DISEASE: this is any abnormality
of the body or its function from
certain standard of health in
which the body is not in harmony
with it surrounding.
 AETIOLOGY/CAUSES :it is the study of
causes of any disease and the factors
which influence its occurrences,
causes of diseases are divided where
possible into existing and
predisposing factors example: virus is
an existing cause, whiles age or food
is predisposing causes.
 PATHOLOGY: is the study of
disease and its manifestation on
the body tissues.
 MORBID ANATOMY: this is the

detailed description of the

diseased structure as seen at
post-mortem operation.
 SYMPTOMS: this is what the patient
experiences and complains of e.g.
headache, pain
 SIGNS: this is an objective evidence of

a disease that is what an observer

sees on a patient. In medical practice
four methods are used to look for
signs. These are
 A .Inspection
 B. Palpation
 C. Percussion
 D. Auscultation
 INSPECTION: visual examination of the

body.
 PALPATION: examination of an organ

by touch or pressure of the hands

over the part.
 PERCUSSION: a method of diagnosing
by tapping with the fingers or with
light hammer on any part of the body.

 AUSCULTATION: examination by
listening either with one ear or with a
stethoscope when examining internal
organs.
 PHYSICAL SIGNS: what nurses and doctors
see on examining a patient e.g. swelling,
bleeding, rashes, deformities etc

 COMPLICATIONS: these are the diseases,

lesion and symptoms which are as a result of
the original disease and occur from time to
time and are not part of the disease.
 SEQUELA: a lesion or pathological
disease persisting after the original or
when one of its complications
subsided e. g. fibrosis of the lungs
after bronchopneumonia
 EPIDEMIOLOGY: is the study that

determines the occurrences and

distribution of diseases in the human
population and the factors that
 Influence their occurrence.
 DIAGNOSIS: the recognition of a

particular ailment from the history of

signs and symptoms and any test
which may have been performed.
 PROGNOSIS: the act of foretelling the

course, duration and the termination

of a disease.
 DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS: the
knowledge of other diseases in
question which resembles the disease
in question and the difference which
helped in formulating a final opinion.
 PROPHYLAXIS: is the prevention of

diseases with vaccines or tables e. g,

malaria, yellow fever etc.
 SYNDROME: a set of signs and
symptoms which occurs together and
constitutes the manifestation of some
special conditions e.g. Nephrotic
Syndrome.
TERMS RELATED TO COMMUNICABLE
DISEASE
 COMMUNICABLE: is a disease that is
transmitted from one person to
another.
 INFECTIOUS DISEASE: is a disease that

has the ability to spread quickly

 SUSCEPTIBLE: lack of resistance of a

person to infection.
 INCUBATION PERIOD: a period
between the date or time when
organism gains entrance into the
person and the first day it shows signs
and symptoms of the disease.
 COMMUNICABILITY: the ability of an

infectious agent to affect a susceptible

person.
 QUARANTINE: the period of isolation
and observation of a person who has
come into contact with an infectious
disease to the end of incubation
period.
 IMMUNITY: resistance phase of the

body to infectious disease.

 BARRIER NURSING: precaution taken
by nurses to prevent infection from
spreading from one patient to another
or a staff by nursing such patients in
cubicles or separate rooms on the
same ward.
 CONTAGIOUS: a disease transmitted

by contact e.g. common cold, leprosy

 DISINFECTION: destruction of
microorganisms that may cause or
transmit disease by chemical
substance.
 DISINFECTANT: chemical solution used

to destroy pathogenic microorganism.

 CONCURRENT DISINFECTION: an

ongoing disinfection to prevent

 Spread of infection
 TERMINAL DISINFECTION: disinfection

of all items and the rooms used by

infectious patient after discharge,
death or recovery.
 EPIDEMIC: an outbreak of disease in a

community at the same time e.g.

cholera.
 ENDERMIC: a disease prevailing at a
particular locality or habitual presence
of a disease in a locality such as
typhoid fever
 PANDMIC: a worldwide outbreak of

disease e.g. HIV/AIDS, covide 19 etc

 BACTERAEMIA: is the presence of

bacteria in the blood stream.

 ANTIGEN: a substance usually a
foreign protein whose presence in the
body stimulates antibody production
against a particular disease.
 ANTISERUM: an artificially prepared

serum against a specific disease by

immunizing a person so that
antibodies are formed.
 BACTERICIDAL: a substance capable of
killing or destroying bacteria e.g.
disinfectant.

 CARRIER: a person who habours

microorganisms or infectious disease
and is not necessary affected by it
himself, although he may infect others
TYPES OF CARRIERS
There are three types of carriers
 Those incubating the infection and

does not show signs and symptoms.

 Those recovering from the illness but

still have the organism.

 Permanent carriers are those who are

immune to the disease but transmit it

to others.
 CONTACT: an individual known to
have been in association with infected
person.
 CONTAMINATION: a contact with an

infected agent by a person or object.

 FORMITE: in animate objects that are

capable of habouring infectious

agents and transmit disease such as
cups, plates etc
 INFESTATION: the presence of
animals, parasites such as lice, rats,
worms etc in or on the body, in
clothing or in a house.
 PATHOGENIC; an organism which

causes disease.
 PRODROMAL: preceding symptoms

which occurs before a disease.

 TOXIC: any poisonous substance
usually produced by bacteria.
 TOXIOD: a toxin deprive of some of its

harmful properties but capable of

producing immunity and may be used
in vaccine.
 GERMICIDE: an agent capable of

destroying microorganism.
 VACCINE: it is a suspension of
attenuated organisms used for the
prevention or treatment of infectious
disease.
 ANTISEPTIC: a substance usually

chemicals that inhibit the growth and

multiplication of microorganism.
 VECTOR: an insect that carries
organism or parasite from one host to
the other either of the same species or
another species.
 TOXAMIA: poisoning of the blood by

the absorption of bacterial toxins.

 NASOCOMIAL INFECTIONS OR
HEALTHCARE –ASSOCIATED
INFECTIONS :An infection originating
from a medical institution or acquired
during the process of receiving health
care that was not present during the
time of admission.
 MORTALITY OR DEATH RATE : The
rate at which death occurs in a
particular population out of a
thousand people.
 NOTIFIABLE DISEASE: Infectious
diseases that are to be reported to
the health authorities. They are of
public interest by reason of their
contagiousness, severity or
frequency
MODE OF ENTRY OF MICROOGANISM
INTO THE BODY
Microorganisms can enter the body
through the following means:
 Ingestion
 Inhalation
 Directly
MODE OF ENTRY OF MICROOGANISM
INTO THE BODY
 Indirectly
 Droplets
 Food and drinks
INGESTION
 Takingin food contaminated with
microorganism, thereby causing
diseases like typhoid fever,
cholera dysentery etc.
INHALATION

 Breathing in of air full of microbes

into the mouth, nose or lungs
which causes diseases such as
common cold, tuberculosis.
 Infection is spread from one

person to the other either directly

or indirectly.
DIRECTLY

 Coming into contact with the

affected person there by infecting
oneself.
 This is gotten through kissing and

sexually transmitted diseases

example; hepatitis, Aids,
gonorrhoea.
INDIRECTLY

 That is coming into contact with

the disease through an
intermediate host .
 Example articles belonging to an

infected person and nurses who

do not observe barrier nursing.
DROPLETS

 This is inhalation of pathogens

which are constantly discharge
into the air through the
respiratory system.
 These discharges come in minute

watery droplets through

coughing, sneezing, singing etc.
FOOD AND DRINKS
 Thisinvolves the taking in of
contaminated food or water either
with faecal matter or poisonous
substances. When such things are
eaten diseases occurs