Posted: November 19th, 2022

The nurse practitioner (NP)

The nurse practitioner (NP) is working at a health clinic in a
homeless shelter during the early evening. A 48-year-old African
American man approaches the practitioner and asks to have his blood
pressure taken, saying that he has not had it checked “in a while”.
The man appears to be in some type of distress and experiencing pain.
The man walks slowly, using a guarded manner, and he appears
diaphoretic. His mucous membranes also appear pale. The patient’s blood
pressure is 210/98. The patient reports that he has not been diagnosed
with hypertension previously. The patient reveals that he has severe
abdominal pain that is radiating to his back. The nurse finds a heart
rate of 110, respirations 30 with shallow inspirations, and temperature
102.2°F. The patient’s skin is cool and clammy.
The patient reports a history of alcoholism, homelessness, and lack
of access to health care. He says that the symptoms have been present
and worsening over 3 days. The man says he thinks he might have
pancreatitis again, which he had “a couple of years ago”. The NP
recommends that the man should be seen at a hospital for his condition,
but the patient says he does not have health insurance, so he does not
want to go.
The NP proceeds with a physical examination, finding severe abdominal
pain in the epigastric area, yellowed sclera, no abdominal distention,
and hypoactive bowel sounds. The clinic is equipped with basic materials
but no means to conduct lab or radiologic testing. Discuss the
following:
Considering the patient’s homelessness and lack of insurance, what action should the practitioner take?
When the patient asks why his condition cannot be managed outside of the hospital, how should the practitioner respond?
When the patient arrives at the hospital for further diagnostic
work-up, what tests will likely be performed to evaluate the patient’s
condition?
How will the severity of the pancreatitis be assessed when the patient is hospitalized?
How should the patient’s condition be managed when hospitalized?
What patient education should be included after the pancreatitis is resolved
Your initial post should be 500 words, formatted and cited in
current APA style with support from at least 2 academic source