Evaluate and reflect on their own ability to implement strategies to lead teams and care coordination.

The written assessment tasks for this subject require you to submit a Case Study Report in which you explore the potential impact of chronic and complex conditions on the patient.

In addition to a brief introduction and conclusion, PART A of your report should include:

A discussion of the pathophysiology and related clinical manifestations of EACH diagnosed chronic illness that the patient is presenting with in the case study

A discussion of the chronicity and complexity of the patient’s condition, including the identification of two (2) possible interactions between the patient’s co-morbidities and a discussion of how these conditions will impact the patient and her family. You will need to consider the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations and the medication the patient is taking in this part of the report.

Your report must adhere to academic writing conventions. Sub-headings may be used, but dot points and tables should not be included in this part of the assessment item.

You should support your discussion with a MINIMUM 10 recent (less than 7 years old) and credible sources. Credible sources include, peer reviewed journal articles, text-books, evidence summaries, best practice guidelines, government documents, health facility clinical guidelines and policies/procedures and websites containing content aimed at health professionals. Please note that lecture slides will not be considered to be credible sources for this assessment task.

Assignment Task

Case Study for Part A

Luigi is a 77 year old Italian man who has lived in Australia for 40 years. He lives with his wife and son, who was born in Australia and attends university. Luigi speaks English well as he worked as an accountant for many years before his retirement. His wife who is also Italian has limited English as she has stayed at home caring for her husband and her son for most of her married life, thus Luigi does most of the shopping, pays bills etc.

Luigi’s health has declined over the last 15 years with a history of poorly controlled type 2 diabetes for which he takes metformin 500mg BD. He is overweight, does not pay much attention to his blood sugar levels or his diet and leads a relatively sedentary lifestyle.

Lately Luigi notices his ankles are swelling and his vision is blurring. After a visit to the GP it is noticed his blood pressure is elevated and he has protein and glucose in his urine. This leads to further investigations where Luigi is diagnosed with chronic renal failure.

Rationale

It is known that chronic disease is the leading cause of death across the world (Johnson & Chang, 2014). Nurses need to be able to provide care to all health consumers, with a significant role in assessing a person, planning care, communicating with colleagues and ensuring that the holistic needs are met and evaluated. The ongoing nature of the conditions can result in longer term debilitating outcomes if not addressed appropriately. Children, young people, adults and older adults all experience the full range of health issues yet manage them differently.

This assessment task addresses the following subject learning outcomes:

Plan nursing care for patients with complex co-morbidities demonstrating rationale for how one affects the other.

Plan nursing care of a patient with a co-morbidity in consultation with individuals/groups significant others and the interdisciplinary health care team in the clinical setting

Collaborate with the interdisciplinary health care team to provide comprehensive nursing care in the clinical setting

Evaluate and reflect on their own ability to implement strategies to lead teams and care coordination.