A patient and family care study on Peptic Ulcer Disease (PUD)

Abstract

Previously, care for the sick was considered to be the responsibilities of priests and religious groups. For instance, in the middle. Ages, care for the sick was then handled by the military and religious orders. However, in the 19th Century, Florence Nightingale provided defined rules for the preparation of nurses and redefined the face of the nursing practice. Since then, the scope of nursing has expanded remarkably to its modern state of comprehensive nursing, which involves a systematic process of data collection, problem diagnosis, analysis, care plan development and evaluation. The main objective of the nursing practice today is focused on the promotion, maintenance and restoration of healthy life for the individual, family and community as a whole. The patient and family care study is a comprehensive study carried out on patient with a particular disease condition. The study is based on the nursing process, a systematic method, which has the assessment, analysis, planning, implementation and evaluation as its components. The study provides knowledge and understanding of the causes, pathology, diagnosis and treatment of the patient's condition. It also gives an account of the actual nursing care rendered to a patient and his or her family from the time of admission until time of discharge. The study forms part of the academic requirements on obtaining the license to practice as a registered general nurse in Ghana. It offers the student nurse the chance to put into practice the theoretical knowledge and experiences gained during the period of training. It broadens the knowledge of the student nurse in terms of a particular disease condition and its management. The study helps the patient /family to comprehend and gain insight into the condition and improve upon their health status. Finally, it builds a good cordial relationship between the nurse and patient /family as well as other members of the health team.