How to Manage the Inclusion of E-Learning in Learning Strategy - Essay Example

? Brain injury al Affiliation: Introduction Brain injury refers to a damage that that occurs in the reasoning part of the body an organism which is the brain. Brain injury is usually classified basing on dimensions. There is the primary and the secondary injury which is the way of classifying the processes that take place in this type of injury. The other type of classifying is using the focal and the diffuse type of injury. These types of injuries are used to show the extension to which this injury has occurred and the location. There are four major forms of brain injury. They are: Brain damage- This refers to the destruction of the brain cells in an organism. Stroke- This one refers to the injury that occurs as a result of a vascular event. Traumatic injury- This refers to the damage that takes place when a force from the outside traumatically causes injury to the brain cells. Acquired injury- This is the last form of injury and it refers to one that takes place after birth not considering if it is traumatic or not. It also regardless to whether it has been caused by external or internal cause. Research shows that the number of people who are suffering from brain injury is high because there are those who live with this situation while there are those who sustain new injuries every year (Ayse, 2013, 25). Brain damage usually affects an individual emotionally, physically and behaviorally. Some of the causes of Brain injury include: Falls Bomb blast or a military attack Violence or a wound as a result of a gunshot. Accidents such as those involving motor vehicles Insufficient oxygen in the body Body inflammation There are various ways to know an individual who is suffering from brain damage because there are some behavioral activities shown by them (Bickley, Hogan-Quigley ans Palm, 2012, 38). Some of the symptoms of brain damage therefore include: Difficult coordination of balance in the body Headaches Blurred vision in both eyes or a single one Changes in patterns of sleep Lack of bladder control Seizures These are some of the physical symptoms shown by individuals who are suffering from brain injury (Wilson, 2008, 56). Apart from these symptoms, there are emotional changes that are also revealed by individuals suffering from this injury. These symptoms include: Confusion Poor concentration Mood swings Communication troubles Attention span that is limited Changes in personality These are among many emotional changes that are seen in individuals who are suffering from brain damage. This project seeks to show how individuals suffering from brain injury are taken care of. In this case, the project will look at how a patient suffering from traumatic brain injury was taken care of and how he was provided with all the things necessary to help him get better with his situation. There are many things that have to be taken into consideration when taking care of a traumatic brain injury patient (Karlsson, 2013, 323). Traumatic Brain injury abbreviated as TBI is a health problem which is known to be a major one in the public. It is known to affects male adolescents and young adults who are in the age gap of 15 and 24. It is also a common health problem among the elderly people who are of 75 years and above. Young children who are below the age of 5 are also at a risk of suffering from this health problem. Having in mind that this patient was suffering from a traumatic brain injury, it is clear that it was an external cause that led to this damage. The level of this injury was mild because this patient was not able to experience he was suffering from this after some time. This gives a clear impression that the hit was not hard in that the patients was not able to realize that he was suffering from brain damage. While having a talk with the patient, we realized that these are some of the symptoms he had. Ringing in the eras, dizziness, bad taste in the mouth, confusion, headache and change in sleeping patterns (Vries, 2013, 38). These are actually some of the symptoms shown by individuals who are suffering from traumatic brain injury which was what the patient was actually going through. This traumatic brain injury is known to have many risk factors and causes. Among these factors are accidents that involve bicycles, motorcycles and pedestrians. This is the cause that is known to be the major one among those individuals who are suffering from the traumatic brain injury. It is only a small percentage of patients who are suffering from traumatic brain injury that is known to be caused by other factors (Owiti and Bhui, 2012, 27). These other factors other than accidents include: violence such as with the use of firearm assault and child abuse. Another small percentage of about 3% is known to be caused by injuries through sport activities while another small percentage is known to be as a result of alcohol use. The cause of the brain injury determines the outcome in the patient. This is the reason why we had to have a talk with the patient to know exactly what caused the injury. It was necessary for me to know what the patient had gone through for a few previous weeks before he came to seek for help in our medical center. With this knowledge i was able to know that the patient was suffering from traumatic brain injury and traced back to the activities he majorly engaged in. with some few questions here and there, I was able to make some conclusions and know what caused it. Traumatic brain injury can result to disabilities depending on the degree of injury. Among these disabilities are: Cognition problems that is reasoning and memory issues. Problems in sensory processing which involves hearing, taste, touch, smell and sight. Mental problems involving depression, changes in personality, anxiety, social inappropriateness and aggression. These are some of the disabilities that are as a result of traumatic brain injury. Apart from these disabilities there are other long term predicaments that are associated with this type of brain injury. They include: Motor problems Post-traumatic dementia Alzheimer’s disease. From the above results it is quite clear that traumatic brain injury can at times be so severe and if not taken into consideration with a lot of care, (Wabmann and Tavangarian, 2013, 33) then a patient suffering from this kind of disease can lose his or her life. It is therefore an issue that should be handles with much care to make certain that effective treatment is administered to patients. It is clear that the patient was experiencing a lot of pain because he complained about sleepless nights and frequent headaches. Having learnt about brain injuries and how patients with such conditions can be handled, I was able to help the patient out so that he could be in a better position that he was. This patients had symptoms that relay matched those of the traumatic brain injury because he had problems with his responsiveness, awareness, arousal and alertness. All this talk took place after the patient recovered partially because when he was brought in, he was unconscious. We administered first aid for him to regain his consciousness before we could go ahead with the treatment. This gives a clear impression that the patient had suffered a lot and the injury had affected him a great deal such that he lost his consciousness. The consciousness of the patient was affected in various ways. The traumatic brain injury caused problems in various fields such as awareness, responsiveness and alertness. There are five unconscious states that result from the traumatic brain injury. These five states are: Persistent vegetative condition Brain death Locked-in syndrome Stupor Coma In our case, the patient was in a stupor case (Rider, 2009, 74). This gives a clear impression that he was in a position where he was not able to respond but was able to be aroused by a stimulus that is strong. In this case, it is clear that the patient was brought in but was not in a position to do anything because he could not respond until when aroused (Profetto-McGrath and Raymond_Seniuk, 2012, 34). We implemented various medical strategies to make sure that the patient came back to his normal state. It took a while for us to do so but in the end the patient was back in his feet healthy and was able to move on with his life like any other person. At the first instance, we made sure that we stabilized the patient in order to avoid further injury. Immediately he was brought in, we made certain that his condition was stable to make him not to face more injuries (Eddeen, 2013, 8). We insured oxygen supply to the brain and the other parts of the body. This was meant to make sure that there was steady flow of blood in the whole body so that all parts of the body would get adequate blood and that the pressure of the blood would be controlled. We then opened up the airway of the patient. This was the second step that was taken and it was meant to make sure that the patient was breathing. We went ahead to perform a CPR which was meant to help the heart pump blood to all parts of the body as it is expected to be in a normal person. Brain injury is an issue which is very sensitive. In this case therefore, we took great care when moving the patient because we wanted to avoid further injuries as the brain is a sensitive part of the body which when injured for the second time after an initial one, the patient can easily die (Williams, Griffiths and Darbyshire, 2012, 2). To make the patient avoid more movements after he woke up. We made sure that he was placed on a back-board which helped in preventing further movements. This is another medical strategy that as implemented to make sure that he did not move and it avoided further injuries to the spinal cord and the head generally (Arman, 2013, 18). After the patient was stabilized, we measured the vital signs through a process of neurological examination (Waldman and Perlman, 2012, 911). This is a process which was meant to check on various conditions in the body of the patient. The following are some of the conditions that were checked using this process: The blood pressure in the body The size of the pupil in response to light The temperature of the body The rate of breathing (Jun, Roh and Kim, 2012, 26). We also assessed the consciousness level of the patient using the Glasgow Coma Scale. This scale refers to a 15-point examination that makes use of three measures to make determination of the severity of the brain injury in the patient. The three measures are verbal response, motor response and the opening of the eye. We summed up the results of these three tests so that we could be able to make perfect estimation of the condition of the patient. Normally, a sum resulting to 3-8 indicates that the injury in the head is severe. 9-12 is a result which indicates that the injury in the head is moderate and lastly 13-15 is a result indicating that the injury in the head is mild. With the three tests, there are usually outcomes that are expected in all of them depending on the test that is being carried out (Soeren., 2013, 13). Below is a summary of how results from the Glasgow Coma Scale usually come out. The opening of the eye This part usually has four parts which are: 4. It indicates that the patient is in a position to open the eyes in a spontaneous manner. 3. This is a result given if the patient is in a position to open the eyes basing on a verbal command (Seers, 2012, 16). 2. This one indicates that the patient is able to open the eyes in response to stimuli that is painful. 1. This is the last one indicating that the patient is not able to open the yes even when stimulated. The best response verbally This is the second part among the three tests and it usually has five scores. These scores are: 5. This one is given if the patient is able to speak coherently and is oriented. 4. This is gives an indication that the patient is in a disoriented position but is in a position to speak coherently (Hamby and Grych, 2013, 36). 3. It is a result indicating that the patient is in a position where he uses words that are inappropriate and a language that is incoherent. 2. This is a result given when the patient makes sounds that are incomprehensible. 1. This is the last response under this category and is given indicating that the patient is not able to make any verbal responses. The motor response that is best This is the third category of tests and usually has six responses in general. The responses are: 6. This means that the patient is able to move legs and arms in responds to commands that are verbal. A score between the numbers 5 and 2 indicate that the patient is able to respond to stimuli including stimuli of pain. 1. It is the last result under this category and it shows the patient is not in a position to show movements in response to any stimuli (Shaefer, 2012, 14). Taking a look at the case of our patient, there was no swelling resulting from the injury which makes some fluid to accumulate within the space of the brain. This is something which happens to most individuals who suffer brain injuries (Cleary, Jackson and Walter, 2012, 1498). The injury took place in the skull-encased part of the brain. In this case, there was no absorption of water from the adjacent tissues which means the tissues did not swell. The increased pressure that made the tissues not to swell is known as Intracranial Pressure (ICP). We measured the ICP of the patient using an instrument referred to as a catheter (Yacopetti, 2013, 613). This is an item is inserted via the skull, through to the subarachnoid level. It is then connected to a monitor which displays the ICP of the patient (Ho and Cheung, 2012, 1502). Below is a diagram which shows how the computer is used to measure the ICP of a patient. After establishing the CPI of the patient we were able to determine how to carry out the treatment because we knew the situation in which the patient was in. In this case it as possible to administer effective treatment because the patient was stable and we were able to make him recover from his injury because we knew what to do. The knowledge that our medical has, in treating patients, is effective enough to make us administer effective treatment because every individual working in our department is qualified (Lewallen, 2012, 28). The patient was able to receive treatment, got well and was discharged after he was in a situation where he just needed some minimal care. In this case, there was no need to keep him in the hospital because this would only lead to increment in his bills yet he was way much better. Conclusion Dealing with traumatic brain injury is a challenging issue because it involves taking care of patients who have injuries in sensitive parts of the body. It was such a task taking care of the patient because he had stayed with the problem for a while but had not realized it (Yarwood-Ross and Haigh, 2013, 302). This made it difficult for the treatment to be administered because it had to take a process before the patient would regain consciousness and come back to normal (Aasen, 2013, 13). We had to try our best to make certain that he was taken care of as expected and that he got better within the shortest time possible. The amount of money used by the patient as quite high but we ensured that the money did not go on loss because we made certain that he got well at the end of everything. Many at times, patients who suffer from traumatic brain injury use a lot of money for their treatment because it is something that they stay with it for a long time without noticing such that at the end of it they use a lot of money because it becomes a complicated issue. The injury develops to another stage where it affects the patient such that without hospital care then the patient cannot get better. We did all our best to make sure that the patient recovered even though the treatment required several processes and other issues to take into consideration. This gives a clear impression that traumatic brain injury is a serious illness that should be taken into consideration and treated with a lot of care for the best results. Recommendation There are various things that should be taken into consideration both by the health assistants and the patients to make sure that the patients get better and heal from the brain injury regaining their strength and health. Since it is the patients who are under medication, they should make certain that they play their part effectively to ensure that they regain their health. Some of the things that patients should do to aid recovery include: Get rest in plenty. They are supposed to have 8 hours of total sleep and have naps during the day as instructed. Cut back on duties and work then resume when able to. Stay away from non-prescribed drugs and alcohol. This is because at this stage the brain is not able to work with drugs and alcohol in a normal way. Simplify daily activities by trying to follow a routine. Concentrate on doing one thing at a specific time to enhance focus. Eat food that is healthy and try to have regular exercises. Try to avoid all sorts of destruction while undertaking a task. The health assistants on the other hand, are supposed to lay their role as well in order to avoid circumstances where many patients are lost due carelessness and other activities that lead to negative results and can be controlled (Cross, 2012, 908). They have to make sure that they make efforts to play their roles effectively for patients to feel that they are being taken care of as expected. Some of the things they are supposed to consideration and implement include: Avoid making assumptions that the injury in an individual is always as a result of drugs and alcohol. Have coordinated systems of trauma to make sure that the rate of mortality goes down. Provision of written data on medical health to offer assistance to those individuals who do not need further assessments in medical activities. Refer patients who are in critical traumatic brain injuries to the emergency sector to make certain that they are attended to as fast as possible before the situation worsens. Always make sure that the greatest threat in the life of a patient is dealt with before it is too late. Below are other general recommendations for the traumatic brain injury fields in various hospitals. It reaches a time when traumatic brain injury patients are supposed to be taken care of by other specialists because their situations get worse at some point. In such cases, they have to be transferred to make sure that they get specialised treatment for them to get better as soon as possible. The following issues should be taken into consideration and implemented effectively to make sure that patients suffering from traumatic brain injury are transferred and attended to as expected and that they are assisted to regain their health and strength. The implementations in transfer situations include: Patients with brain injury and are in critical situations should be transferred in order to improve on the outcome. The outcome in this case, will improve because the patients will be moved to personnel that know more about how to handle the traumatic brain injury. This will make it possible for them to help the patients positively and they will be able to recover fast. There should be consultants who are assigned with the responsibility of the transfer of patients with traumatic brain injury issues. There should be guidelines nationwide that are consistent between the health centers involved, to make sure that there is no confusion during this process and that all the rules and regulations for transfer are followed. The transfer process is usually done while stabilizing and resuscitating the patient. These processes have to be completed so that complications that might occur during the journey are done away with. During the transfer of patients with acute brain injury, there should be doctors who are fully trained and qualified, who should accompany them to their transfer destination to make sure that the process is undertaken as expected making sure that they are transferred at the right time and to their rightful places of transfer. All the standards of transfer should be adhered to. Means of communication should be provided for those who are carrying out the transfer so that it can be made sure how all the patients who have been transferred are doing if they are safely transferred to their various destinations. For improving standards o transfer, three major processes have to be implemented which are educating, training and auditing of those who are supposed to transfer patients. To avoid expenses for treatment of traumatic brain injury, there are ways in which it can be prevented. These ways include: Wearing a seatbelt all the time when an individual is driving. Children are supposed to be buckled into a position where he or she will be safe in a car depending on the age of the child. Wear helmets when riding a motorcycle. A helmet should also be worn when participating in games such as hockey. When skating helmets should be put on as well. When not in use, bullets and firearms are supposed to be kept in a locked place. Helmets should be worn when riding a horse. An individual can avoid falling by using items such as stools to reach things on high shelves. This can also be made possible by making handrails on staircases and having window guards to prevent young children from falling off open windows. Implementation of all these strategies will definitely make it possible for any health center taking care of patients suffering from traumatic brain injury to pull through their activities successfully. This will make the health center which takes into consideration all these implementations have a good name build-up. In this case, such a health center will be in a position to maintain its clients and even attract more making the managerial staff and the employees at large have a good working relationship which will make them attend to more people in the society. 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