Fecal Impaction – Nursing is a profession within the healthcare sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other healthcare providers by their approach to patient care, training, and scope of practice. Nurses practice in many specialisms with differing levels of prescriber authority.
Many nurses provide care within the ordering scope of physicians, and this traditional role has shaped the public image of nurses as care providers. However, nurses are permitted by most jurisdictions to practice independently in a variety of settings depending on training level. In the postwar period, nurse education has undergone a process of diversification towards advanced and specialized credentials, and many of the traditional regulations and provider roles are changing.
Nurses develop a plan of care, working collaboratively with physicians, therapists, the patient, the patient’s family, and other team members, that focus on treating illness to improve quality of life. Nurses may help coordinate the patient care performed by other members of an interdisciplinary healthcare team such as therapists, medical practitioners, and dietitians. Nurses provide care both interdependently, for example, with physicians, and independently as nursing professionals.
Fecal Impaction
Fecal Impaction:
A fecal impaction is a large lump of dry, hard stool that stays stuck in the rectum. It is most often seen in people who are constipated for a long time.
or
A fecal impaction is a solid, immobile bulk of human feces that can develop in the rectum as a result of chronic constipation.
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Fecal impaction is a mass or collection of hardened feces in the folds of the rectum.
Causes of Fecal Impaction:
- Prolonged retention and accumulation of fecal material.
- Poor defecation habits and constipation.
- Medications.
- Barium used for diagnostic purposes
- Poor fluid intake, insufficient bulk in the diet, lack of activity, weak muscles.
- In severe cases, the feces accumulate and extend up into the sigmoid colon and beyond.
Symptoms of Fecal Impaction
All symptoms of fecal impaction are serious and warrant prompt medical attention. They include:
- Leakage of liquid stool
- Abdominal discomfort
- Abdominal bloating
- Abdominal pai
- Feeling the need to push
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- A headache
- Unexplained weight loss
- Not wanting to eat
Severe symptoms include:
- A rapid heart rate
- Dehydration
- Hyperventilation, or rapid breathing
- A fever
- Confusion
- Becoming easily agitated Incontinence, or passing urine without trying
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