Nursing care for indivuduals with Malaria

To continue from where we stopped last week on malaria treatment, a patient needs more care considering the types of symptoms one experiences. This week's blog will focus on patient management which is also a critical part in ensuring they get better. Malaria wears one down to a point that there is no strength left to do a thing. Appetite is usually gone and one is forced to eat and drink water to stay hydrated. The following are some of the nursing cares that often help in the patient's recovery.

1. Changes in nutrition less than body requirements related to inadequate food intake, anorexia, nausea / vomiting. This is the hardest part because usually a sick person does not have the appetite. In my case I hated any fried foods and would throw up wherever I would smell it. The fact is patients with malaria should continue intake and activity as tolerated because it ensures they get enough nutrients which helps them recover faster. Fluid intake can be in form of IV route and for the patients who are at home it is better to continue assisting them to drink plenty of water. If a patient does not take plenty of water it may lead to dehydration which is usually caused by the sweating, vomiting and/or diarrhea. Rehydration needs to be carried out in a very careful way to prevent pulmonary edema so input and output for each patient should be recorded to keep track of the level of hydration (British Medical Bulletin 2015)
2. High risk of infection related to a decrease in body systems - For the patients who are admitted in the hospital monitor the temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure and level of consciousness. These observations should be made at least every 4 hours until the patient is out of danger.  It is always advised to report changes in the level of consciousness, occurrence of convulsions or changes in behavior of the patient which may be signs of serious complications. All such changes suggest developments that require additional treatment. If the rectal temperature rises above 39 ^o C, remove the patient's clothes and start tepid sponging and fanning. (Nursing crib 2015). Patients with non– P falciparum malaria who are well can usually be treated on an outpatient basis. Obtaining blood smears every day helps demonstrate response to treatment. If the lab results show that (>5% of RBCs infected), CNS infection, or otherwise severe symptoms the patient is considered for inpatient treatment to ensure that medicines are tolerated. IV preparations of anti malarial are available for the treatment of severe complicated malaria (Medscape 2015)

Once a patient starts treatment therapy, they are advised to stay in bed and avoid any activities for the first few days because of the side effects which may include dizziness and fatigue.

REFERENCES

Malaria Treatment & Management. (n.d.). Retrieved May 21, 2015, from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/221134-treatment#aw2aab6b6b1aa

British Medical Bulletin. (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2015, from http://bmb.oxfordjournals.org/content/75-76/1/29.full

Malaria | Nursing Crib. (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2015, from http://nursingcrib.com/communicable-diseases/malaria/