e impact of pneumothorax on the science of nursing is strong in that the involvement of the nurse in caring for patients with this condition is substantial, although it varies in complexity with his or her position in the medical center, facility, or hospital. In this regard, Roman, Weinstein, and Macaluso (2003) state that nursing care, in and of itself, involves several activities such as preventing complications, resolving the pneumothorax, managing pain, and educating the patient.
The first point that needs to be made is that simply caring for the patient in a manner that resolves the condition and prevents complication is complex. The nurse has to engage in a variety of tasks, including ongoing and constant supervision of the patient as well as looking for signs of complications (e.g., low blood oxygen, respiratory failure, etc.). The patency of chest tubes has to be maintained and fluids need to be frequently offered. Dressings need to be applied if there are open wounds, and oxygen has to be given. In addition, efforts have to be made to make sure that tubing is not kinked, and the patient has to be turned frequently. These and many other actions have to be taken depending upon the nature of the pneumothorax and the procedures taken to correct it.
However, as noted earlier the complexity of care varies in relation to the nurse's position in the care facility. There are various types of nurses with different delegated functions and authorities, including what they can do medically (Cooper, 2000). Specifically, in the medical workplace of today, there are chief nurses, assistant chief nurses, supervisors (OR, Ward, ER/OPD), senior nurses (OR, Ward, OPD, ER ICU/CCU, etc.), operating room nurses, and staff nurses in all of the various departments.
Some of these nurses may not only be charged with the care of pneumothorax patients, but also with collecting assessment data and using it to diagnose them. Some of thes...