CARE FOR CHRONIC DISEASES 2
Running head: CARE FOR CHRONIC DISEASES 2
Genetically Competent Care for Patients with Chronic Illnesses
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CARE FOR CHRONIC DISEASES 2
Genetically Competent Care for Patients with Chronic Illnesses
Chronic illnesses are deviations from normal functioning by the body system (Florêncio, 2016). These illnesses have some of the following traits: availability of residual disability, a non-reversible pathological alteration in the body system, a need for specialized training of the patient for rehabilitation, and extensive monitoring and care periods (Florêncio, 2016). One of the common chronic diseases is chronic heart disease (CHD); a condition that is associated with the physical and functional progressive limitations of the heart. These limitations cause drawbacks in the daily lives of the patients and increase the risk to life. This article will investigate how genetically competent health care is given to patients with chronic diseases like CHD.
Genetically competent care is essential for patients with chronic diseases since these illnesses affect the daily lives of the patients and their families. Chronic diseases pose a significant threat to the life of the patient; therefore, it necessitates the use of adequate health care strategies, that aim at stabilizing, clinical improvement, and reduction of readmission of the patient to the hospital, or premature death (Howington, Riddlesperger, & Cheek, 2011). Considering the severity of CHDs, it is paramount to administer care guided by the integrality and combined discipline to promote the health, recuperation, and rehabilitation of the patient. Besides the prevention of illness and prolonging life, providing health entails increasing the quality of life and standard well-being (Florêncio, 2016). Therefore, for care to be channeled towards the promotion of the health of chronic illness (CHD) patients, it is mandatory for caregivers like nurses to possess specialized competencies.
The components of competencies and policies are used in critical care. As more diagnostics tests are carried out, more and specified medications increasingly focus on various chronic illnesses (Howington, Riddlesperger, & Cheek, 2011). Due to the need for critical care, critical care nurses have to show genetic competency. Nurses portray genetic competency when they educate patients and their families on medication that is specific to a particular genetic mutation or on the genetic buildup of the disease (Howington, Riddlesperger, & Cheek, 2011). When the nurses apply this education to the condition of a patient, they act as educators and advocates by assisting the patient in understanding the science involved in the treatment plan. Therefore, genetically competent care is essential for patients with chronic diseases like chronic heart disease (CHD).
References
Florêncio, R. S., (2016). Nursing competencies in promoting the health of individuals with chronic diseases. Brasilia.
Howington, L., Riddlesperger, K., & Cheek, D. J. (2011). Essential Nursing Competencies for Genetics and Genomics: Implications for Critical Care. Critical Care Nurse, 31 (5).