The Duties Of An Orthopaedics Nurse - Everything You Need To Know - Dr. Nabil Ebraheim

Educational video describing the memorization techniques for the duties of orthopaedic nurses.

Nurses are burdened by multiple pages of patient assessment documents, they are constantly distracted by more and more clinical duties and tasks. Because of the huge amount of material they have to enter into the computer, they may overlook one or two items that may be very important for the patient’s care. So we designed this presentation to make it easier for orthopedic patients to remember those important functions.
Here is an example of how the nurse may forget something that is important for the patient’s care:
The patient may be given breakfast by the dietary service, despite the fact that the patient is in preparation for surgery. In this situation, the patient should have not had anything to eat past midnight. The patient was fed because there was no NPO sign posted in the room. It is very important to keep the patient NPO before surgery.
In order to remember the important functions of an orthopedic nurse, think about it in the following manner:
Say to yourself is it safe for the patient to walk and eat? If yes, then perform a neurovascular check. While checking the patient’s vascular status, insert an IV line for fluids and give antibiotics and pain medications.
If the patient is not safe to walk, then make sure to give the patient DVT prophylaxis and check for decubitus ulcers and take precautions to avoid them.
Remember this is not the exact sequence of patient assessment, but rather a method to memorize them.
Patient safety
•Make sure the patient has appropriate identifier.
•Ask yourself, did I wash my hands before handling the patient?
•Assess the patient for wounds, allergies, risk of falling and probable drug interactions.
•If you find a situation that isn’t safe, talk about it and fix it. If you can’t fix it on your own, get someone who can help you fix it.
Walking
Determine is the patient out of bed or on bed rest. Determine the patient’s activity level and weight bearing status and if they require physical therapy or ambulatory aids. Some patients are kept in bed despite the fact that they should be up and mobile. Therefore, the nurse needs to ask the doctor about the activity status of the patient in case the order was not written.
Remember that mobilizing the patient and getting them back on their feet is the goal. Early mobilization decrees the chance of developing:
•Bed sores
•Pneumonia
•DCT
•Psychosis
•Constipation
If the patient is not safe to walk, then make sure to give the patient DVT prophylaxis and check for decubitus ulcers and take precautions to avoid them.
Eating
Ask yourself, is the patient allowed to eat and are there any food restriction as:
NPO starting midnight for anticipated surgery?
Supplements or special diet for patient with diabetes as an example?
Neurovascular check
Assess the patient’s neurovascular status and check for signs of compartment syndrome. While assessing the neurovascular status, you can insert an IV line for fluids and administer antibiotics and pain medications.
Remember if the patient is not safe to walk, make sure to give the patient DVT prophylaxis and check for decubitus ulcers and take precautions to avoid them.

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