Final answer:
A nurse should provide instruction and supervision for a client using automated peritoneal dialysis (PD), including taking vital signs, preparing sterile equipment and solutions, ensuring proper labeling of specimens and addressing equipment issues. Clients should also understand how dialysis works, including the principle of the semipermeable membrane for filtering waste products like urea from the blood.
Step-by-step explanation:
Instructions for Automated Peritoneal Dialysis (PD)
For a client discharged with instructions to use automated peritoneal dialysis (PD), a nurse should provide comprehensive training and guidance. The nurse should operate under direct supervision of a registered nurse and focus on providing dialysis treatments effectively. It's essential that the client knows how to review their own patient history and understands their current condition. Additionally, they must be taught to assess and respond to their own needs before and during treatment and monitor the dialysis process, which includes:
- Taking and reporting their vital signs consistently.
- Preparing solutions and equipment to ensure that procedures are accurate and sterile.
- Ensuring the needle, sponge, and instrument counts are complete (or noting if this is not applicable).
- Checking that any specimens are correctly labeled with the patient's name.
- Addressing any equipment issues promptly.
The nurse should also explain the mechanics of dialysis, where urea and other waste products are removed from the blood when the kidneys fail to do so. This includes understanding how a semipermeable membrane allows urea to pass through while keeping larger blood components such as proteins and blood cells within the tube as the "cleaned" blood is eventually returned to the body.