•
Unit 2
Caring for a patient in Recovery
• Returning a patient to the ward
• Talking about pain
• Checking an IV Prescription
• Using IV infusion equipment
1 a In pairs, discuss the following questions.
1 What do you think the nurses are doing in the picture on
the right?
2 Do you have experience of looking after patients in Recovery?
b Complete the following sentences about Recovery using the words and
phrases in the box.
alert and oriented anaesthetic Coronary Care Unit (CCU)
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) oxygen mask Post Anaesthesia Care Unit (PACU)
Recovery, or (1 )_____________________, is where patients go to wake up after an
operation.
In Recovery, nurses check that the patient is (2 )_____________________ - that
they are awake and know where they are.
Patients often need to breathe using an (3 )_____________________ until they
recover from the (4 )______________________
If patients are too ill to go to the Ward, they go to the (5 )_____________________
If a patient has heart problems, they go to the (6) ______________________
С In pairs, discuss the following questions.
1 After a patient has had an operation, a nurse in Recovery checks ...
a that the patient has woken up.
b if the patient is in pain,
с that the patient has ordered lunch,
d the patient’s Observations,
e if the patient has an appointment for an x-ray.
f if IV fluids are running,
g if the patient is bleeding,
h if the patient would like to go for a walk.
16 Unit 2 Caring for patients after an operation
2 How can a nurse check to see if a patient is awake and oriented after an
operation?
a Call the patient’s name
b Slap the patient on the shoulder
с Tap the patient’s hand
3 Where do patients go after they have recovered well from their operation?
a To the Intensive Care Unit
b To the ward
с Home to their family
d ► l l Emile, the Recovery Nurse, is checking Mr Brodzik, a patient, after an
operation. Listen to the conversation and answer the following questions.
1 How does Emile know that Mr Brodzik is alert and oriented?
2 How does Mr Brodzik feel?
3 Is Mr Brodzik in pain?
e ► l l Choose the correct sentence (a or b) from the following pairs. Listen
again and check your answers.
1 a ^ an you open your eyes, please2>
b Can you opening your eyes, please?
2 a I’ll just take out your oxygen mask,
b I'll just take off your oxygen mask.
3 a Do you know where are you?
b Do you know where you are?
4 a How do you feel?
b How do you feeling?
5 a You are warmer now?
b Are you warmer now?
6 a Are you in any pain?
b Have you pain?
7 a Do you feeling sick at the moment?
b Do you feel sick at the moment?
f In pairs, practise checking a patient in Recovery. Student A, you are a
nurse; Student B, you are a patient. Use the following prompts to help you.
Swap roles and practise again.
• open / eyes?
• take off / oxygen mask?
• know / where you are?
• how / feel?
• are / warmer?
• are / in pain?
• feel / sick?
Unit 2 Caring for patients after an operation 17
Returning a patient to the ward
2 a Label the pictures (1 - 8 ) below using the words in the box.
blanket dressing ice pack IV cannula light
pain relief pillow vomit bowl
Ь ^ 2 2 Rachel, the Ward Nurse, is checking Mr Brodzik back on the ward.
Listen to the conversation and tick ✓ the items below that you hear.
G blanket G IV cannula
Q dressing □ pain relief
□ drink of water □ pillow
□ ice pack □ vomit bowl
С ► г^ Б о те of the information below is incorrect. Listen again and correct
any mistakes in the following sentences.
1 Mr Brodzik’s knee hurts.
2 Rachel is going to get Mr Brodzik some pain relief.
3 The dressing is comfortable.
4 The IV cannula feels OK.
5 Rachel gets Mr Brodzik a pillow.
d Put the following words in the correct order to make Rachel’s questions.
1 are/feeling/you/how/?______________ ___________________________________________
2 still/hip/does/hurt/your/?_______________ _______________________________________
3 dressing/how's/the/hip/your/on/? _ ____________________________________________
4 IV cannula/arm/how/the/does/in/feel/your/?__________________________________
18 Unit 2 Caring for patients after an operation
e Match the patient’s statements (1-7) to the nurse's replies (a-g).
1 I'm thirsty. a 111 get you something to eat
Г т hungry. -b t il get you some water,
Fm uncomfortable. с rU get you some pain relief,
My... hurts. d П 1 get you a vomit bowl
I feel sick. e П1 take off a blanket for you.
Г т too warm. f m turn off the tight,
I feel tired. g m get you another pillow.
In pairs, practise the conversation between Rachel and Mr Brodzlk.
Use the following prompts to help you.
Nurse Patient
How / feeling} Say how you are feeling
Say what you will do Thank nurse
. / still hurt? Reply
Say what you will do Thank nurse
How / the dressing /
cannula / catheter? Reply
Say what you will do Thank nurse
In pairs, practise checking a patient back on the ward. Student A, you are
a nurse; use the patient 1 notes below. Student B, you are a patient; use
the patient 1 information on page 89. Swap roles and practise again using
patient 2 notes on page 86 and patient 2 information below:
Nam e: Л \г Douglas
O pera tio n p e rfo rm e d : 'Right shoulder arthroscopy
IV cannula: L e f t arm fo r IV antibiotics (IV A D s)
W ound: D re ssin g to rig h t shoulder
patient 2 Information
You a re A V s Simmons- Y o u hod a big operation
on your le ft h ip You a re in a lo t o f pain. The
d ressin g fee ls tight and uncomfortable, but the
cannula doesn't hu rt Y o u v e g ot a so re throat
and you r e th irsty.
Unit 2 Caring for patients after an operation 19
