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DRSNursing, Kidderminster (2025)

08/12/2023

Now, future nurses and healthcare professionals, let's look at Common Diabetes Medication - Insulin.

Critical Insights for Students:

- Side Effects
As well as enabling blood sugar management, some medications may include other benefits, like protecting the heart or kidneys or assisting with weight loss.

Side effects will depend on the type of insulin taken, but they could include:
- hypos
- sweating.
- trembling or shaking.
- anxiety, confusion or difficulty concentrating.
- palpitations
- tingling lips.
- blurred vision
- dizziness.

Stay curious, and keep learning; you've got this.

07/12/2023

This vs That - Hyperglycaemia vs Hypoglycaemia: A guide for students

Hyperglycaemia - High blood glucose levels, typically indicated greater than 11mmols/l

Risks of Hyperglycaemia -
Diabetes Ketoacidosis
Hyperosmolar Hyperglycaemic State
Increased Infections
Peripheral Neuropathy
Retinopathy

Hypoglycaemia - Low blood glucose levels, typically indicated by less than 4mmols/l

Risks of Hypoglycaemia -
Coma
Seizures
Fatigue
Stroke-like symptoms.

Stay curious, and keep learning; you’ve got this.

06/12/2023

Common Diabetes Medications: A quick guide for students

Hey, future nurses and healthcare professionals, let's take a quick look at Common Diabetes Medications.

Critical Insights for Students:

- Side Effects

As well as enabling blood sugar management, some medications may include other benefits, like protecting the heart or kidneys or assisting with weight loss.

Side effects will depend on the type of diabetes medications are taking, but they could include:
- hypos
- weight loss or weight gain
- bloating and diarrhoea
- feeling sick

Stay curious, and keep learning; you've got this.

05/12/2023

This vs That - Diabetic Ketoacidosis vs Hyperosmolar Hyperglycaemic State: A guide for students

Diabetes Ketoacidosis - defined by Glucose - >11mmols/l; Ketones - >3mmols/l; pH - 7.3 with a normal anion gap; Osmolarity >320mmol/l (2(Na+K+)+urea+glucose = plasma osmolarity)

Pathophysiology
HHS has a similar pathophysiology to DKA but with some mild dissimilarities. The hallmark of both conditions is the deficiency of insulin. As a consequence of the deficiency of this key hormone, there is a decrease in glucose utilization by the peripheral tissue causing hyperglycemia.

Stay curious, and keep learning, you’ve got this

04/12/2023

Type 1/Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A quick guide for students

Hey, future nurses and healthcare professionals, let's take a quick look at Type 1 type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

What Is Condition?
Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects how the body turns food into energy.
With diabetes, the body doesn’t make sufficient insulin or can’t utilise it as well as it should. Insufficient insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, and excessive glucose stays in your bloodstream. Over time, that can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.

Stay curious, and keep learning; you've got this.

01/12/2023

Neurological Observations: A quick guide for students

Hey future nurses and healthcare professionals, let's take a quick look at Neurological Observations.

What are Neurological Observations?
Vital signs need to be completed with every set of Neurological observations completed
Half-hourly until the GCS is 15/normal for a patient
Half hourly for two hours
Hourly for four hours
2 hourly thereafter.

What is the ACVPU Scale?
The AVPU scale (Alert, Voice, Pain, Unresponsive) is a system, which is taught to healthcare professionals and first aiders on how to measure and record the patient's level of consciousness.

What Is The Glasgow Coma Scale?
The Scale was described in 1974 by Graham Teasdale and Bryan Jennett for Assessment of coma and impaired consciousness; as a way to communicate the level of consciousness of patients with an acute brain injury.
The findings using the scale guide initial decision-making and monitor trends in responsiveness that are important in signalling the need for new actions.
Key Insights for Students:
1. Scored out of 15, the lowest score is 3/15,
2. There are three main sources of possible interference with assessing one or more scale components;
Pre-existing factors
- Language or cultural differences
- Intellectual or neurological deficit
- Hearing loss or speech impediment
Effects of current treatment
- Physical e.g. intubation or tracheostomy
- Pharmacological e.g. sedation or paralysis
Effects of other injuries or lesions
- Orbital/Cranial fracture
- Dysphasia or Hemiplegia
- Spinal cord damage

Stay curious, and keep learning, you've got this.

30/11/2023

ABCDE Assessment: A quick guide for students

Hey future nurses and healthcare professionals, let's take a quick look at the ABCDE Assessment.

What Is the ABCDE Assessment?
The ABCDE approach is used to systematically assess an acutely unwell patient. It involves working through the following steps:

- Airway
- Breathing
- Circulation
- Disability
- Exposure

Key Insights for Students:

1. Do a complete initial assessment and re-assess regularly. Treat life-threatening problems before moving to the next part of the assessment. Assess the effects of treatment.

2. Assessment should take no longer than 2 minutes to complete

3. Make sure you check the pulse and Respiratory rate for 60 seconds

Stay curious, and keep learning, you've got this.

29/11/2023

Anticoagulants: A quick guide for students

Hey future nurses and healthcare professionals, lets take a quick look at Anticoagulants.

What are anticoagulants?
Anticoagulants, commonly known as blood thinners, are chemical substances that prevent or reduce coagulation of blood, prolonging the clotting time.

Key Insights for Students:

1. Side effects
The common side effect is increased bleeding risk due to prolong coagulation of blood. Other include:

- passing blood in your urine
- passing bloody stool or black tarry stool
- severe bruising
- prolonged epistaxis
- bleeding gums
- hematemesis
- haemoptysis
- heavy periods in women

2. Indications for anticoagulants
- strokes or transient ischaemic attacks
- myocardial infraction
- deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- pulmonary embolism

Stay curious, keep learning, you've got this

28/11/2023

Subdural Haemorrhage: A guide for students

Subdural haemorrhage (SDH) signifies blood between the dura and arachnoid layers.

Common causes:

- Head injuries: Traumatic incident resulting in swelling or bleeding within the brain
- Brain tumours: The presence of space-occupying lesions
- Anticoagulants: Increases risk of bleeding

Pathophysiology

In a subdural hematoma, the blood seeps between the dura and the arachnoid layers. It collects inside the brain’s tough outer lining. This bleeding often comes from a blood vessel that breaks within the space around the brain. This most often happens because of a head injury.

Stay curious, and keep learning, you’ve got this

27/11/2023

Diabetes Insipitus: A guide for students

A condition affecting either the production or uptake of Antidiuretic hormone

Common causes:

- Brain tumours/masses
- Head trauma
- Meningitis
- Encephalitis
- Sudden Brain Hypoxia

Pathophysiology

Diabetes insipidus (DI) is a disease process that results in either decreased release of antidiuretic hormone (ADH, also known as vasopressin or AVP) within the hypothalamus or decreased response to ADH in the kidney, causing electrolyte imbalances.

Stay curious, and keep learning, you’ve got this

24/11/2023

This vs That - Diabetes mellitus (DM) vs Diabetes Insipidus (DI): A guide for students

Diabetes mellitus (DM) - affecting the pancreas and blood glucose levels

Pathophysiology
Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is related to the levels of insulin within the body, and the body’s ability to utilize insulin. There is a total lack of insulin in type 1 diabetes, while in type 2 diabetes, the peripheral tissues resist the effects of insulin.

Diabetes Insipidus (DI) - affecting the hypothalamus and/or kidneys and the electrolyte balance.

Pathophysiology
Diabetes insipidus (DI) is a disease process that results in either decreased release of antidiuretic hormone (ADH, also known as vasopressin or AVP) within the hypothalamus or decreased response to ADH in the kidney, causing electrolyte imbalances.

Stay curious, and keep learning, you’ve got this

23/11/2023

Raised intracranial pressure: A guide for students

Raised intracranial pressure (ICP) denotes an elevated pressure within the cranium.

Common causes:

- Head injuries: Traumatic incident resulting in swelling or bleeding within the brain
- Brain tumours: The presence of space-occupying lesions
- Cerebral oedema: Generalised swelling of brain tissue
- Intracranial haemorrhage: Blood accumulating within the skull

Pathophysiology

ICP commonly increases due to the Monro-Kellie Doctrine, which states that the sum of brain tissue, CSF, and blood within the cranium must remain relatively constant. Any increase in one element prompts a reciprocal decrease in another, elevating ICP

Stay curious, and keep learning, you’ve got this

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