Dakota Horton

Post Clinical 1
On my first day of clinical, I was presented with the opportunity to do health
teaching for my patient. The first set of vitals that I took concluded with an O2 sat below
normal range. When I looked at previous vitals taken on the patient, I noticed that this
finding had become a trend. I took this opportunity to talk to the patient about deep
breathing and coughing post operatively. I explained how sometimes after surgery,
laying in a hospital bed, pain or reduced mobility may prevent people from taking deep
breaths and fully filling their lungs with air. This can result in increased secretions of
mucous and phlegm. By encouraging deep breathing and coughing, we are able to help
clear the airways of these secretions and increase oxygenated circulation throughout
the body.
After sharing my knowledge with this patient I noticed immediate changes. The
O2 sats following the health teaching were consistently within normal range. Although
still provided, the patient no longer needed prompting to take deep breaths or coughs.
As I took vitals on the patient in the bed next to mine, I could hear her coughing and
breathing on her own multiple times. I would consider this health teaching opportunity to
be a success due to the increased knowledge and understanding that my patient
demonstrated.