Nursing Practice
Abdominal pain is a medical condition that can be a nuisance when it strikes. Nurse
practitioners are helpful medical staff who help
... [Show More] patients experiencing diverse medical
conditions enjoy compassionate care during their hospital stay. This report explores how to
manage abdominal pain for an African American male patient.
Practitioner Actions
The first significant practitioner actions are to guide and educate the patient about
his suitability for the medicaid program that helps the homeless. Additionally, the
practitioner can lead the patient how the Medicaid application process and link him with
appropriate people. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services
(2020), Medicaid offers grants and subsidies for qualified people such as the homeless.
This patient is entirely qualified for Medicaid services because he is homeless. This service
would simplify the cost of his treatment and medical check-up. The practitioner should
equally consult hospital management to allow the patient to enjoy the necessary healthcare
services when the processing of Medicaid data continues.
Practitioner Response
The practitioner should react by reinforcing the pros of handling the underlying
condition at the hospital level. Furthermore, the practitioner should tell the patient that
managing the condition outside the hospital could incur many financial resources. Lastly,
the practitioner should clarify the dangers of failing to manage the condition and the likely
risks of trying to handle his condition outside of a healthcare facility. In doing so, the
practitioner would simplify the patient's understanding of the required diagnostic tests, the
necessary medical processes, and the care needed to contain the underlying condition.
The Tests Required
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When this patient checks into a healthcare facility for a comprehensive diagnosis,
the medical practitioner handling the condition will conduct several tests to assess the
underlying condition. A prerequisite to the test is an overall physical examination and
checking the patient's past medical records. The most important tests, in this case, are
imaging and lab tests (Löhr, 2016). The latter include magnetic resonance imaging and
endoscopic ultrasound to check pancreatic damage, computerized tomography scan to
visualize the patient's pancreas and nearby tissue, and lastly an ultrasound to check for
gallstones (Chatila, Bilal & Guturu, 2019). Conversely, the lab test includes blood tests to
determine the patient's pancreatic enzymes to assess the likelihood of pancreatitis and stool
examination to determine the amount of fats that signifies chronic pancreatitis. [Show Less]