Berman, A., Snyder, S., Levett-Jones, T., Burton, T., & Harvey, N. (2020). Skills in clinical nursing. Pearson Education Australia. 

Preparing a person for surgery - pages 671 - 684.

Reference: Brown, D., Buckley, T., Aitken, R., & Edwards, H. (2023). Lewis's Medical-Surgical Nursing 6th Australia and New Zealand edition (6th ed.). Elsevier - Evolve. https://clinicalkeymeded.elsevier.com/books/9780729598125

• First, review the Abstract and Conclusion.

• Then, review the introduction and discussion sections.

• Use Control + "F" to find key words to determine if the article relates to your assessment.

• Paraphrase key findings and statements to support your claims and statements.

• Share new evidence-based literature to highlight new information on the topic. If you include new evidence, cite it this way: Name of Researchers (Year of Publication) state/report/highlight/emphasise/suggest (pick a verb). For example, Myers et al. (2022) state.....

Please read Chapter 4 (pp. 119-168). It discusses consent for treatment.

Priority care problems 

Priority care problems related to potential or actual  

Respiratory Complications

Ineffective airway clearance

• Related to: Ineffective cough due to chronic respiratory conditions or pain limiting deep breathing.

• Signs & Symptoms: Reduced cough effort, abnormal breath sounds, dyspnoea, use of accessory muscles, patient reports of chest congestion or difficulty clearing secretions.

Ineffective breathing pattern

• Related to: Chronic respiratory diseases, anxiety about surgery, pain.

• Signs & Symptoms: Shallow breathing, tachypnoea, shortness of breath, restlessness.

Impaired gas exchange

• Related to: Chronic lung disease, smoking history, hypoventilation risk.

• Signs & Symptoms: Low oxygen saturation, cyanosis, confusion, restlessness.

Cardiovascular Complications

Decreased cardiac output

• Related to: Underlying cardiac disease, hypovolaemia from dehydration or bleeding, medications affecting cardiac function.

• Signs & Symptoms: Hypotension, tachycardia, weak pulses, dizziness, fatigue.

Ineffective tissue perfusion

• Related to: Peripheral vascular disease, immobility, smoking.

• Signs & Symptoms: Cold extremities, weak pulses, delayed capillary refill, numbness or tingling.

• of confidence in managing health.

Brainfuse can be used to support your academic writing, develop content knowledge and meet with peers for study groups.

175 minutes of free access to live, synchronous services per year is available to each student; approximately 11 x 15-minute interactions.  

https://mylearn.torrens.edu.au/courses/5553/external_tools/1990

• You use AI to help brainstorm, plan, refine, or clarify your work, but you remain the author.

• The ideas, structure, and conclusions are your own.

• AI suggestions are reviewed, adapted, and integrated by you.

• Always acknowledge the AI tool and its role in your process.

• Large portions or all of the work are created directly by AI, with minimal or no changes from you.

• The work does not show your own understanding, reasoning, or originality.

• Submitting AI-generated work without disclosure. This is a breach of academic integrity.

• Which AI tool you used (e.g., Scopus AI).

• The date and time you used it.

• What you asked the AI (your prompt or question).

• What the AI gave you back (the response or summary).

What it does: Lets you save AI chats or snippets directly into Notion workspaces for later review, tagging, and referencing.

Use for: Centralised, timestamped note-taking and research logs.

Where to get it: Chrome Web Store — AI Archives.

• Psychosocial Problem: Identify one actual psychosocial problem and include three associated signs and symptoms (objective and subjective data). 

1. Patient Problem 

2. Aetiology (cause/risk factors) 

3. Signs & Symptoms (≥2; objective and subjective data) 

Include: 

• One actual nursing diagnosis 

• One potential nursing diagnosis 

• One psychosocial nursing diagnosis 

Tip: Each diagnosis must be supported by objective and subjective data from your GenAI case study. 

• Explain its relevance to the RN role and how it can be addressed or mitigated. 

• Link to the 🔗 Patient Safety Competency Framework (PSCF). 

• Reference: Australian government website or legal nursing textbook and PSCF.

Impaired urinary elimination

• Related to: Pre-existing urinary tract issues, anxiety, medications (e.g., diuretics).

• Signs & Symptoms: Dysuria, decreased urine output, urinary retention.

Gastrointestinal Complications

Acute abdominal pain

• Related to: Inflammation and pressure from abdominal tumour.

• Signs & Symptoms: Patient reports of localized or diffuse abdominal pain, tenderness on palpation, guarding.

Imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements

• Related to: History of cancer causing weight loss and decreased appetite.

• Signs & Symptoms: Documented weight loss, muscle wasting, fatigue.

Risk for fluid and electrolyte imbalance

• Related to: Preoperative fasting, vomiting, diuretic use.

• Signs & Symptoms: Dehydration signs (dry mucous membranes, tachycardia), lab electrolyte imbalances.

Temperature Regulation

Risk of imbalanced body temperature

• Related to: Acute appendicitis and potential infection.

• Signs & Symptoms: Elevated temperature (fever), chills, sweating.

Fever

• Related to: Infection/inflammation from acute appendicitis.

• Signs & Symptoms: Temperature >38°C, malaise, sweating, chills.

Anxiety

• Related to: Fear of surgery, uncertainty, lack of knowledge about procedure, financial concerns.

• Signs & Symptoms: Restlessness, increased heart rate, verbalisation of worry or fear, difficulty concentrating.

Knowledge deficit

• Related to: Insufficient information about surgical procedure, postoperative care, and recovery.

• Signs & Symptoms: Patient questions about the surgery, expresses confusion or misunderstanding, lack of confidence in managing health.

• Identify three relevant assessments (physical, psychological, social) that relate to your patient’s problems. 

• Justify why each assessment is important for identifying the patient’s health status. 

• Reference: CAP203 textbook. 

• Reason for Admission Summary: Provide a clear overview of the patient’s acute surgical admission, including: 

• Duration of Symptoms: Length of time the patient has been experiencing their main symptoms. 

• Primary Symptoms: Key signs or complaints that led to admission.