One of the most prevalent gastrointestinal conditions, GERD affects 20% of adults in Western societies according to NCBI. Acid reflux, otherwise known as GERD, where the stomach contents come up from the stomach to the esophagus, often causes discomfort and irritation in the tract. The contents pass down to the stomach through the esophagus when you eat. If the stomach cannot keep the contents down, you might puke, get heartburn, or experience regurgitation or hoarseness.
It could be because of too much acid in your food or stomach content or if the valve letting in food into the stomach from the esophagus is not functioning properly. It is important for you, as the caregiver to have a good nursing care plan for GERD, in order to alleviate some of the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Managing this condition requires a proper understanding of the type of Gerd you have, its causes and risk factors, and a treatment plan.
Acute and chronic GERD differ in the frequency of reflux. Acute acid reflux occurs once or twice a week when the pain is manageable. Chronic GERD is accompanied by severe pain and lasts for longer. Acute and mild acid reflux is easily managed using pain medications. You must visit the hospital for further diagnosis and treatment plans if it persists.
Simple and actionable nursing care plans for acid reflux like monitoring your diet and limiting the risk factors could help you live a quality lifestyle. It helps you lead a normal life without complications. This article will explore different nursing care plans and educate you about GERD.
It is easy to identify and monitor the trend of acid reflux. Check out these common signs and symptoms of GERD:
GERD could end up causing ulcers, cancer, inflammation, or lumps in the esophagus. Proper diagnosis and follow-up on treatment plans will help you manage the condition and live healthily.
Doctors use various ways to diagnose and treat GERD. They must ascertain the extent of the condition and its effect on the esophagus. Here are some nursing diagnosis care plans for GERD:
Esophagus manometry allows doctors to view the esophagus’ health. The doctor inserts a tube into the esophagus to check for GERD and other inflammation or sores within the tract. The tube has a camera at its end that aids in the GI tract examination.
An X-ray of the upper digestive system or the GI tract helps identify any problem arising from GERD. It also confirms the extent of the effects and risk factors of the condition. You will drink a chalky liquid that mimics the esophagus tract to analyze its structure against a healthy tract.
A blood test checks for the acid levels or the h-pylori bacteria in your digestive tract. Using this data, the doctor understands more details of the condition.
The doctor may examine you physically to check for any lumps or bulges around the diaphragm. The doctor checks the signs and symptoms exhibited by the patient. If they’re consistent with acid reflux symptoms, the doctor may conduct additional tests to confirm their diagnosis.
A physical examination helps the doctor identify the triggers of acid reflux. They will be able to establish trends and patterns in your lifestyle that you need to tone down in your GERD management plan.
History examination involves inquiring about the history of the disease and checking those with the condition in your family tree. It gives the doctor a perspective on why and how to handle your condition when determining a treatment plan.
Nursing care plans for GERD patient allows them to learn about GERD and focus on working treatment plans that elevate their lifestyles. The plan aims to aid the nurse and the patient in achieving the desired outcome to promote their health. Mild and acute GERD patients can easily manage their condition with an elaborate nursing care plan. Here are some pointers to look out for in a care plan.
Identify and examine different risks and contributing factors to your condition. For example, people with a high BMI rating or who smoke often experience acid reflux. Knowing your triggers and causative actors helps the patient tackle the problem with specialization.
Tracking and monitoring the lifestyle helps patients learn certain characteristics about themselves. They can accept and work on their flaws to better their lives. For example, using a dietary chart, the patient will know the types of food and fluids they consume that trigger vomiting, nausea, or reflux.
They can track their acid intake and take necessary measures by eliminating some food types. A nursing care plan keeps the patient in line with the dietary requirements to boost their appetite and improve their overall health.
Educating patients on the dos, don’ts, and risk factors of GERD calms their nerves and anxiety, which is a common effect of GERD. With the condition knowledge, the patients can stay calm and work on the taught techniques to improve their lifestyles.
Patients can contribute more and align their thoughts and actions with the chosen care plan. They’ll also know the type of medication to take when in pain or when to inhibit acid production. Nurses must give information on the expectations and the methods used in the care plan.
Patient education helps them understand the type of treatment they need. Sometimes, they may need surgical solutions to avoid aspirating or to tighten the valve separating the esophagus and the stomach. With the right information, patients will remain calm through the prep-to-recuperation period.
Nurses teach stress and relaxation techniques to keep patients relaxed and at ease. Stress-free patients improve and have fewer occurrences of acid reflux, making it important to encourage the patients always to take it easy.
Some nurses recommend counseling or therapy to help patients maintain a clear head during treatment. Patients withdrawing from stimulants like tobacco or alcohol and having difficulty relaxing benefit from such counseling or relaxation sessions.
The primary focus of a GERD care plan is to manage the condition effectively and lead a healthy lifestyle. Doctors can prescribe different pain and acid inhibitors medications to help the patient be comfortable and relaxed.
Patients with chronic pain need strong pain medications to keep the pain at bay. Mild GERD can be managed using mild painkillers. The patients will also need acid-production inhibitors that limit acid production in the stomach to avoid flowing back to the esophagus. Understanding when and how to take this prescription is key to the treatment plan.
Nursing interventions focus on teaching patients about self-care and other techniques to manage their condition. Before the intervention, patients must identify and understand their triggers. The most common treatment plans that doctors and nurses use are pain management, reducing acid production, surgical methods, and lifestyle changes.
A combination of these methods helps alleviate the pain and manage your condition. From the diagnosis, the nurse identifies key areas of improvement in their diet or lifestyle. The stage of GERD determines which intervention measures to take and their expectations.
A patient experiencing weight loss, nausea, and vomiting may look malnourished. The nurse’s goal should be to restore the health and wealth of the patient. The nurse will examine and monitor the patient’s diet to find out what they need to improve to restore their health.
The nurse suggests different tracking and monitoring tools like charts to explore their diet. A dietitian helps to align the patient’s dietary choices to restore and boost their health. This intervention allows the patient to learn what to include in their diet to improve their lifestyle.
The expectation is for the patient to adopt a healthy diet for a healthy lifestyle. The patient should look healthier and add more weight for a healthy BMI range.
A patient with extreme pain from acid reflux, chest pains, difficulty in breathing, and restlessness requires the administration of pain medication. The nursing care plan should include immediate administration of pain relievers that eliminate pain in the chest and around the diaphragm. Also, the patient should take antacids to neutralize the acidity in the stomach and inhibit the contents from going up into the esophagus.
This medication should lower the pain within a few minutes; regular checkups of the patient in 30-minute intervals show the patient’s progress. A follow-up prescription that maintains a neutralized stomach pH or strengthens the stomach sphincter is necessary to manage the condition.
A patient with extreme pain from acid reflux needs to understand what triggers the occurrences. Some patients become anxious because they don’t understand their condition, causing more pain or increased frequency of acid reflux. Learning relaxation and stress management techniques is one way of eliminating the causative factors. Also, explaining to the patient the treatment plans suggested by practitioners like surgery or medication helps calms their nerves and keeps them relaxed.
GERD patients can easily wallow in their pain without the right information and GERD care plan. Here are some common FAQs about GERD.
Some of the nursing diagnosis methods include physical and historical examination, imaging, endoscopy, and blood tests.
The nursing interventions include teaching and educating patients about self-care, pain, and acid production management, counseling, and recommending other treatment plans like surgery for permanent resolutions.
The goal of the Gastroesophageal reflux disease nursing care plan is to create a healthy and comfortable environment and lifestyle for their patients.
The five nursing care plans for GERD patients are modifying the patient’s diet, administering pain and acid inhibitors prescription, learning stress-relieving techniques, managing anxiety, and managing aspiration problems.
The good news about acid reflux is that it’s manageable if the right steps are taken. The structure of your plan revolves around teaching, adapting, and managing the pain. Nurses will diagnose your condition for evaluation before coming up with a care plan involving different action points. The GERD care plan should have well-thought-out expectations for analysis and plan modifications throughout the plan.
We do hope that our article has shed light on how to properly take care of your GERD patients and how to ace those assignments like a pro. If you do need an extra hand with structuring your nursing care plan, you can reach out to our nursing care plan writing help for further guidance.
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