Nursing interventions used within nursing home settings:
Personal care
- Assisting with baths, showers, washes, teeth or denture care, hair care, dressing
- Risk assessment of patient/resident both personally and in the environment
Personal elimination needs
Assisting with elimination needs, such as:
- Accompany to toilet with frame/walking aid
- Bedpan
- Commode
- Use of catheter bags
- Laxatives and suppositories
- Stoma’s and Illiostemies
Documentation of care:
An array of assessment and documentation forms are in use, such as:
- MUST tool
- Waterlow Chart
- Bristol Stool Chart
- Fluid Balance Chart
- Dietary Intake Chart
- Exercise Diary
- Socialisation/Activity Record
- DNR or other consent/refusal forms
- Care plan in total comprising all medical/surgical/emotional and nursing information
- Mattress/Bedrail and other necessary assessments
Manual Handling
Hands on usage with various manual handling aids, such as:-
- Hoists
- Stand aids
- Turntables
- Bath seats
- Grab belts
- Slide sheets
Patient/Resident medication
- Assisting with medication rounds and individual medication needs
- Checking stock of drugs and ensuring date and storage meets requirements
Pain Control
- Gain knowledge of patient/resident polypharmacy requirements
- Gain knowledge of Syringe driver and IV applications
- Become involved with end of life planning and care
This is only a brief overview of the interventions that are used routinely within a nursing home setting, and offers an excellent opportunity to put into practice person centred care, ensuring that a holistic approach has been employed and the patient/residents needs have been fulfilled.
This placement setting will give the student the necessary requirements to fulfil all the domains contained within the OARS document, and offer plenty of scope for reflection in practice.
