Mosby's Nursing Skills

Basic Principles: Roles and responsibilities Delegation The nursing process Communication, including charting, end-of-shift report, guidelines for effective communication Medical asepsis, including the chain of infection handwashing Patient resident rights Bathing: The complete bedbath Bathing the male client Back massage Bathing - the female client Bedmaking: Making the occupied bed Body Mechanics Exercise: Principles of body mechanics Moving a person up in bed with a lift/draw sheet Turning positioning a person in a side-lying position Dangling Transfer from bed to wheelchair using a transfer belt Passive range-of-motion exercises Ambulation using a gait belt Signs/symptoms of and precautions for orthostatic hypotension Measurements: Height and weight Intake and output Vital signs Temperature, including oral, axillary rectal Pulse, including radial and apical Respiration, including rate, rhythm, effort Blood pressure (one-step two-step methods) Normal Elimination: Assisting with a urinal Assisting with a bedpan (standard fracture) Providing catheter care Applying a condom catheter Administering a cleansing enema Nutrition Fluids: Preparing for meals Serving meal trays, including the use of the clock technique for a visually impaired person Feeding the dependent person, including positioning and observations for person with dysphagia, signs of aspiration and difficulty swallowing, pocketing of food Personal Hygiene Grooming: Oral hygiene, including oral care for unconscious person, denture cleaning, precautions for the person at risk of aspiration Hair care, including shampooing in bed and shaving the male patients facial hair Nail and foot care, including clipping toenails Dressing, including changing a gown when an IV is present Measuring for and application of TED hose Safety Restraints: Preventing accidents and falls Applying restraints, including vest restraint, extremity restraint, finger-control mittens Using restraint alternatives, including the proper use of side rails and bed wheelchair locks Safe use of restraints, including physicians orders and delegation guidelines Monitoring restraint use Preventing Treating Pressure Ulcers: Assessing risk, including elements of the comprehensive assessment (records review, the Braden Scale, after total assessment, skin assessment, assessment documentation) and stages of pressure ulcer formation Preventive measures, including skin inspection, skin care, positioning, position changes, pressure-relief devices Treatment of pressure ulcers, including dressing change, inspection of wound, measuring wounds, application of prescribed medications, irrigation