patient centred.

Hello guys, few steps more to get off Uni.

Currently I am on my cardio placement, surgical ward. The majority of my patients are post-op patients with reduced lung volume and impaired airway clearance. As you know, main treatments are deep breathing and ambulation.
In last week I had a patient who had upper abdominal surgery. Upon examination the patient was found to have decreased breath sounds. We went for a walk which the patient managed well without pain or other symptoms. Although the patient had few attachments, the patient had no difficulty to mobilize by himself (obs and Haemoglobin were stable), so as usual I encouraged him to mobilize regularly by himself to prevent complication after surgery I explained. Following day I would see the patient for treatment, each time he would report to me that he had not ambulated since the last time I saw him.

I found this quite difficult for me to understand why the patient was not exercise. So I discuss with other health professionals such as nurse and OT. They suggested that it could be due to his past medical history, depression and a lot of other surgical procedures.

In surgical ward the treatments are becoming programmed such as day 1, day 2 day 3….
And treating patients in the ward are same way like routine. However, after this patient I decide to pay attention more for their past medical history and psychosocial factors, not just only treating impairments.