Being naggy simply mean acting irritably and this may be evidenced by negative reactions towards treatment, these characters are most times shown to nurses because they are the closest health worker to the patient.
Sequel to admission of any patient to an hospital is always an attached attitudinal or behavioural change this invariably mean that there is always a change in behaviour evrytime an individual finds him/herself on an hospital bed, these attitudinal changes usually results from being confined to bed which is usually different from the fluffy home-designed bed, it also results from the chronicity of the illness or disease, the question thus comes: why do patient nagg? when the goal of health workers is to restore their health, to ask that question is important and to decipher it is also important. That presents the goal of this piece;
Patients who are disabled or patients receiving palliative and end of life care are all prone to the naggy attitudes(the behavioural reactions)
Disability; This simply mean the absence of competent physical, intellectual or moral power and it can occur at any age, examples of disabled patient are (patient suffering from stroke, traumatic spinal injury, arthritis). Palliative care; This is an approach to care for the seriously ill which involves minimizing the progression of a disease and relieving undesirable symptoms, it emphasizes management of pyschological, social and spiritual problems in addition to control of pain and other physical symptoms. End of life care; This is a real big deal, obviously no one wants to get out of here(the earth) soon, embracing this reality by the patient is often difficult and come with many behavioural changes, Kubler-Ross described dying in five stages and thus explained the associated nursing implications.
| STAGE | NURSING IMPLICATION |
| DENIAL; Patient rejects or denies diagnosis, may even search for other health care provider who will give a more favourable opinionol or may even seek unproven therapies | The nurse shoupd assess the patient’s coping style, information needs an understanding of illness and emphathetic learning, education and emotional support. |
| ANGER; Patient begin to have feelings of rage, resentment directed at health care professionals or even families. | The nurse should allow the patient and family to express anger, treat them with understanding and respect. |
| BARGAINING; Patient plead for more time to reach an important goal. | The nurse should be patient and suppprt realistic and positive hope. |
| DEPRESSION; Patient begin to mourn for impending loss. | The nurse should allow patient to fully express their sadness, insincere reassurance or encouragement of unrealistic hopes should be avoided. |
| ACCEPTANCE; Patient accept the loss and awaits death. | The nurse need to support the family’s expression and encourage them to continue to be present for the patient. |
CONCLUSION; The nursing implication or management for patient who is approaching end of life, is the same for the patient who is disabled and the same for patient that is chronically ill, and the experience of each patient is totally different, infact not chronological or sequential sometimes, hence individuaized approach is given in such a way that obey nursing code of ethics and the nurse does this with patience,empathy and scientific approach, all the care must be directed towards the aim of restoring health, alleviating suffering and promoting wellness. So each time the naggy attitudes pops up in your patient, brace up dont be detarred, with patience, education of the patient and many other points you must have geenrated from this piece, you are good to go to treat that naggy patient of yours. Written by Oladunke Ojewole FNA Intern
