In the absence of monitoring equipment, there is no need to panic. The human body possesses what we need to carry out basic, if not practical, life-saving assessment / judgment should things go wrong: our senses!
As nurses, we are grateful for the monitoring team. The team tells us what we need to know at the touch of a button. But we also know that relying solely on these machines can eliminate the skill of nursing. In the absence of monitoring equipment, there is no need to panic. The human body possesses what we need to carry out a basic, if not advanced nursing assessment / judgment that saves lives in case things go wrong: our senses! A nurse needs to know if something is ‘wrong’ just by using her eyes, ears, and hands. The following are some tips on how to use these senses and act quickly, thus saving lives.
1. The eyes.
There is no crucial tool for a nurse other than the eyes. You can tell a lot just by taking a look at your patient. You can immediately understand how critical they are just by looking at your color, chest movement, a bleeding wound, a swollen leg, the color of your urine, and any other physical signs of distress. Once you have noticed an abnormality, you can proceed with caution.
2. The ears
Abnormal sounds indicate something is wrong: wheezing, gurgling, and stridor. At other times, there is no sound, which at times would also show a complete airway obstruction; therefore, check your ears to determine if your patient is making the correct sounds. If he is not breathing, he may cry or yell or try to tell you something. Gather the facts with your ears, and from then on, you can act on them.
3. The hands
Nursing is a practical job. You can’t be a nurse and not get your hands dirty. When faced with a difficult situation, take the time to feel your patient. Feel your pulse, your breath and your skin. Are they hot enough, too hot, cold or humid? That alone can tell you everything you need to know about your suffering patient.
4. Smell
There are many things a nurse can say just by using her sense of smell. Be it the smell of your patient’s urine, an infected wound, or feces. Once you have established that something does not smell good, a nurse can proceed with confidence.
5. Flavor
In 1674, Thomas Willis described the taste of urine in diabetic patients as “wonderfully sweet, as if it were infused with honey or sugar.” I know what you’re thinking. Disgusting, right? Well, not according to those who breastfed in the old days. Before technology, as it has, doctors and nurses, in some parts, used to test urine for infections. Thank God we don’t have to do that anymore. We now have advanced technology and can diagnose with the push of a button.
6. Trust your instincts
Nurses have an amazing way of using their instincts to determine if / when something is not right with their patients. That is what makes them unique. Nurses can achieve this because they are the ones who spend the most time with the patient and offer hands-on care, so they can tell when a feature is out of the ordinary, even without medical evidence at first. So if you are a nurse like me and you have that feeling in the pit of your stomach, something is not quite right, then it probably is. Follow your instincts and tell the doctor what you think and let him know your concerns. The worst that could happen is that you will greatly annoy the doctor on call who was preparing to take a nap after a long day at work. Better safe than sorry!
Although machines have made nursing “easy” these days, I think we have all the tools, the machines that we need to do a reasonably robust nursing assessment. Our eyes, ears, noses, mouths (okay, maybe not so much now) and our instincts give us all the information we need to prevent our patient from being in danger. Let’s use them. If you do it enough times, the confidence and skill you gain from practicing with your senses are essential. You will feel satisfied and happy, and so will your patient!