Pneumothorax Care: Overview as it Relates to Nursing Practice

The purpose of this paper is to provide a broad overview of pneumothorax as it relates to nursing practice. The paper first defines the condition and briefly presents a history of the disorder. This is followed by an examination of the impact of pneumothorax on the science of nursing as well as a discussion of the role of the nurse in caring for the patient with this condition. The impact of pneumothorax on society is also examined. The final section of the paper presents an evaluation of the condition in relation to medical practice in general and nursing practice in particular.

Pneumothorax: Definition and History

When free air collects in the chest outside the lung thereby causing the lung to collapse, the condition is referred to as pneumothorax (Currie & associates, 2007). Noppen and De Keukeleire (2008) state that there are various classifications of Pneumothorax. The first classification is traumatic pneumothorax, which occurs due to traumatic injury of various types.

Noppen and De Keukeleire (2008) report that the second classification is iatrogenic pneumothorax, which typically occurs during a procedure such as subclavian central line insertion. The third classification is spontaneous pneumothorax, which tends to be either idiopathic or related to a disease. There is also tension pneumothorax, which occurs due to a progressive deterioration or worsening of a traumatic, iatrogentic, or spontaneous pneumothorax.

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mothorax and that other approaches should and must be engaged in for many patients as a means of lowering the risk of pneumothorax, which will, in turn, lower overall hospital costs to the patient. Another financial element is liability. In this regard, the hospital and attending staff (e.g, doctor, anesthesiologist, etc.) can be placed at risk. If pneumothorax occurs as the result of a lack of safety at the hospital or a mistake on the part of a doctor, nurse, or anesthesiologist, insurance premiums and other negative consequences can and do arise. Indeed, Domino and associates (2004) report that every year, liability claims are filed for unattended pneumothorax as the result of a procedure received at a hospital. Treatment effectiveness is another factor involving pneumothorax that has implications for society. There has been some research collecting effectiveness data but the studies have not directly examined effectiveness in relation to nursing care. In this regard, several physicians specializing in chest disorders and diseases were surveyed using a Delphi technique as part of an effort to assess their management of adults with primary and secondary pneumothoraces in emergency department and inpatient settings by Bau

Category: Science - P