Reference no: EM133479915

Assignment:

Case Study

Gabby Trunk is a 78-year-old lady recently discharged from the hospital after antibiotic and bronchodilator treatment for a chest infection and exacerbation of her COPD. She has been readmitted to the emergency department with suspected recurrent respiratory infection and management of her COPD. Gabby uses a cane for support, but her breathlessness and fatigue have meant that she has been unable to keep up with normal household activities since her discharge 1 month ago. She lives on a rural property 35 km from town with her elderly partner Paul (82), who has been diagnosed with early-stage dementia. Gabby and Paul have no children, but their niece Desiree lives not far from
them and visits regularly.

The emergency department has transferred Gabby back to your ward for further management. When she arrives from the ED to be admitted to your ward, she  has a non-rebreather mask over her face and is hunched forward on the trolley. She has a new skin tear on her left forearm which has been dressed in dry gauze that is now quite damp and bloody. She weighed 54 kg on discharge last month, but her weight has decreased to 51kg, and she appears cachectic. The medical orders completed by the new ward medical intern include pulse
oximetry and an oxygen prescription for 4 litres of oxygen via re- breather mask.

You looked after Gabby during her last admission and have met her partner,

Paul. Gabby has very firm ideas about the management of her own health and a strongly expressed desire to remain living independently in the community and caring for her husband. But she has a history of not adhering to her medication regimen and has been tapering down her bronchodilators because she felt they were making her too jittery, and she was worried about the effect they were having on her skin. You notice Paul is confused about where he is.

Demonstrate the following elements in your essay.

• Critical appraisal of the role of the registered nurse in a collaborative multidisciplinary healthcare team, and how effective leadership in that space will influence Gabby Trunk's outcomes.
• Exploration of the roles and expertise of three other members of the collaborative healthcare team explaining their contribution to delivery of the best outcomes for Gabby.
• Application of the relevant principles from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Registered Nurse Standards to support the Registered Nurse (RN) leadership role in the collaborative multidisciplinary healthcare team.