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Nursing Care of Pediatric Cranioplasty Patients after Traumatic Brain Injury
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Nursing Care of Pediatric Cranioplasty Patients after Traumatic Brain Injury
Hospitals are associated with pain, illness, and death. Patients, as well as families, go through so much pain both emotionally and physically as they seek treatment for their sickness, some of which are life-altering. Children also suffer through this pain and have to be cared for more closely as they do not understand what is happening to them. Traumatic brain injury (TBI), as the name suggests, involves trauma to the head that causes swelling of the brain. When the brain swells, it is necessary to intervene medically to give the brain more space for it to expand. Rachel McCormick delves into the matter of nursing care of pediatric patients after surgical intervention due to TBI. The article makes for an informative and insightful read, both for medical practitioners as well as lay people.
The author begins with an explaining the meanings of the terms what cranioplasty and craniectomy. This is an important starting point as many people do not understand what this means. The background section gives the statistics of pediatric patients that suffered from traumatic brain injury. The accompanying table enables the reader to see the causes of TBI by percentages (McCormick 216). The analysis by table allows the reader to understand the gravity of the matter and understand that the author’s opinion is backed by facts. Logos has been employed in this section by citing facts and figures.
When discussing the importance of craniectomy and cranioplasty, the author’s tone is direct and succinct. She gives details on the measures that are taken to minimize secondary brain injury including “elevating the head of the bed to promote drainage of cerebral spinal fluid, intravenous hypertonic saline or manitol to shift fluid from the intracranial space into the intravascular space, sedation to decrease the oxygen demands of the brain…” (McCormick 215)The author is unbiased and also goes ahead to outline the risks associated with cranioplasties, including that children had a higher success rate as compared to adults. All through the article, the author backs up the information with research that has been carried out previously by other researchers. Such fact-checking ensures that the reader gets an unprejudiced view of the facts relating to pediatric patients with traumatic brain injury. This is an application of ethos where the author convinces the author of her credibility. She goes out of her way to ensure that her information is factual.
The grouping of the paper into sections helps the reader to understand the subject matter without getting mixed up. The author of the article is quite elaborative and gives explanations for each section clearly and directly. While most of the terms used are medical, a layperson reading the report will have an interest in learning the new terminologies and also be curious to learn more about the subject matter. The use of tables and figures breaks the monotony of reading and enables the reader to quickly skim through the statistics and get a sense of the statistics before they finish reading the article. Visual representation piques the reader’s interest even more, and the delivery of the desired information is more straightforward.
The author discusses the care that pediatric patients have to receive in detail and employs pathos to present a more accurate picture. It is evident that traumatic brain injury is a painful and dangerous occurrence that must be dealt with quickly. The surgical interventions are already quite delicate and operating on children makes it even more so. The author gives an example of a 28-year-old patient who had undergone cranioplasty and the significant improvements to her health throughout months (219). This is under the monitoring of benefits in which nurses are tasked with closely monitoring and examining the patients to observe their improvements after a cranioplasty.
On the side of the complications, the author retains her neutral tone. She gives some of the symptoms that are a sign of complications following surgery (McCormick 219). Precautions towards avoiding some of the complications such as hematoma and hydrocephalus. To conclude her article, the author emphasizes the `critical role that nurses have to play in the pediatric care of patients who have undergone cranioplasty. She author says that “Nurses are highly skilled in monitoring benefits and complications in children recovering from cranioplasty in acute care hospitals, rehabilitation settings, and outpatient clinics, and are essential members of the interdisciplinary team.” (McCormick 220)
The article is generally very informative, and the reader is left with far more knowledge of cranioplasties and craniectomies than they had before reading it. The information given about the causes of traumatic brain injury can help those caring for children avoid such occurrences that are preventable. The conclusion of the article is a fitting end to a well-written piece with the author asserting that there still needs to be more research into the subject of both the benefits and complications of a cranioplasty. Research also needs to be done in the area of nursing care. “Comprehensive data on cranioplasty procedures and outcomes can help guide future research.” Even with this conclusion, the publishing of this article is a step in the right direction for the future of research in cranioplasties as well as craniectomies.
Work Cited
McCormick, Rachel. “Nursing Care of Pediatric Cranioplasty Patients after Traumatic Brain Injury: Monitoring Benefits and Complications.” Pediatric Nursing 44.5 (2018): 215-221.
Negative Impact of Technology on American Society
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Negative Impact of Technology on American Society
There is no doubt that technology has completely taken over our lives. At home, we have Alexa, Google Home, and other devices whom we can ask any question that pops into our minds. We have our phones and computers that we stare at almost permanently, and we have cars that can drive themselves on autopilot. We can shop online and order food without leaving the comfort of our homes. All these forms of technology have made our lives easier and more efficient, and we use minimal effort for any activity. Communication is almost effortless as we can send texts, make phone calls and video calls in real-time. Many of us would not know what to do without our gadgets and other forms of technology. Technology has brought many positive changes to our lives, but there are also a lot of negative effects. Comparing the benefits and advantages leads to the conclusion that technology has an overall negative effect on American society.
One significant negative effect of technology is its impact on physical health. People spend hours on their tablets, computers, and phones, which affects their bodies in several ways. The American Optometric Association reports that long hours spent on tech devices lead to eyestrain. Some of the symptoms of eyestrain include headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes, and neck pain. Bad lighting, screen glare, and improper viewing distance are some of the factors that lead to eyestrain. Using smartphones and other gadgets also affects posture and could lead to pain in the fingers, wrists, neck, shoulders, and back. This is due to the bad positions people use when using their gadgets. For children, technology gadgets present additional risks to their physical wellbeing. If left unsupervised, children can spend hours watching videos, playing video games, and browsing through social media. Children need physical activity for proper growth and development. Technology reduces the time they spend on physical activity such as running and playing, leading to problems such as obesity. Obesity creates the risk for other physical illnesses such as diabetes, which are avoidable.
Technology has also changed the way human beings interact. Dr. Azadeh Aalai, an assistant professor at Queensborough Community College in New York, details the negative effect that technology has had on her students. While she was walking to her office, she noticed her students seated on a bench on campus. All of the students were engrossed in their smartphones; none of them raised their heads to talk to one another. Dr. Azadeh explains that she missed the days before smartphones took over the world when her students would have been busy chatting with each other instead of their phones (Aalai 1). This situation is not unique to the college; it happens everywhere. In homes, schools, and public spaces. It seems that people have forgotten how to talk to each other. At times, a person feels like striking up a conversation with a stranger or even a family member at home. Sadly, the person they want to talk to is most likely too busy with their phones. Technology has robbed our society of social skills and interaction.
Another adverse effect of technology is the spread of misinformation. Although this is a problem in many countries, the United States has a particular problem with misinformation campaigns. Technology allows people to interact with thousands of others, and some people use this opportunity to spread misinformation (Akram & Kumar 351). People tend to believe things that they see on the internet without proof. A perfect example of this is conspiracy theories about QAnon. Although people dismissed this conspiracy as mere idle talk at first, the group has grown to influence thousands of Americans who now believe in all manner of false information regarding the inner workings of the government. Another misinformation problem is the anti-vaccination movement. There is a lot of false information on the internet about vaccines causing serious problems in children such as autism, myths that have been debunked by professional organizations such as the CDC. Unfortunately, these misinformation campaigns cause a lot of harm, especially among gullible individuals.
Technology has also affected the mental wellbeing of so many people, leading to mental health challenges. Social media has become a big part of how people connect today. Social media allows individuals to share their thoughts, what they are doing, and keep up with their families and friends. Although all these seem positive, it becomes a problem when people concentrate on social media and create a false narrative about their lives. Social media has created the need for constant attention from others and decreased empathy among people. Vaguebooking is a term described by Berryman and colleagues who conducted a study into social media effects on the mental health of young adults. The study involved 467 young adults who were interviewed about the importance of social media in their lives and its effects on their mental wellbeing. Vaguebooking involves posting vague but alarming information in an attempt to get attention from other people (Berryman et al. 309). When people feel that they do not get approval from social media, they feel lonely, inferior and may even develop depression.
Cyberbullying is another serious issue exacerbated by technology. Many people use false information to create social media accounts so that they can bully others anonymously. Teenagers are especially vulnerable to cyberbullying as they may not be mature enough to ignore false, hurtful narratives spread about them on social media. The Pew Research Center reports that 59% of American teens have experienced bullying on social media. Examples of cyberbullying include name-calling, spreading false rumors, physical threats, and receiving unwanted explicit images and information (Anderson 2). Some teens have even committed suicide due to cyberbullying, meaning that it is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. Most of the teens involved in the research project revealed that they feel their schools, social media companies, and the legislature have failed to address the problem.
Technology has also affected the attention span of people, mainly at school or at work. Because people spend a lot of time on social media and other forms of technology, they find it hard to concentrate on other tasks at work or school. They feel the constant need to check on their accounts and keep up with new happenings on social media platforms. Short attention spans affect the person’s output and efficiency. A task that might have taken two hours two complete could take six as the person cannot concentrate long enough to complete it. Students may put off completing their schoolwork as they are too engrossed in social media, and they perform lower than they should.
In summary, technology has had an overall negative effect on American society. Although our lives have become much more manageable, the negatives of technology are more subtle, yet they affect our lives significantly. Over time, individuals will see a deterioration in their physical and mental health, interaction with others, and productivity. People have to be more careful with how they use technology to minimize the negative effects and maximize the positives. Society must not allow technology to completely take away our humanity but use it to promote positive interaction between people and improve lives.
Works Cited
Aalai, Azadeh. “Time to Rethink Our Relationship to Technology.” Psychology Today. 5 February 2018. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-first-impression/201802/time-rethink-our-relationship-technologyAkram, Waseem, and Rekesh Kumar. “A study on positive and negative effects of social media on society.” International Journal of Computer Sciences and Engineering 5.10 (2017): 347-354.
Anderson, Monica. “A Majority of Teens Have Experienced Some Form of Cyberbullying.” Pew Research Center. 10 April 2018. www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/09/27/a-majority-of-teens-have-experienced-some-form-of-cyberbullying/Berryman, Chloe, Christopher J. Ferguson, and Charles Negy. “Social media use and mental health among young adults.” Psychiatric quarterly 89.2 (2018): 307-314.
Narrative Essay
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Narrative Essay
The Shawshank Redemption is one of my favourite movies of all time. I also enjoy watching a variety of other films of all genres, but this particular one stands out for me. I first watched it as a part of a class assignment, but it struck a chord within me. It taught me many valuable life lessons that have been vital in my life.
The film is set in a prison, and the main characters are Andy Dufresne and Red. Andy was in jail for the murder of his wife and her lover. When I first watched the film, Andy’s trial fascinated me. He maintained his innocence despite the prosecutor’s compelling evidence against him. He was however found guilty and sent to Shawshank where he met Red, an inmate at the prison. The movie opens with Red up for a probation hearing which he fails as prisoners always do.
Andy had a hard time adjusting to prison life and remained quiet, but after a while, he opened up to Red. He asked Red to get him a small hammer. Red wonders what Andy could do with a small hammer, a question which I also asked myself. What I like d about Andy in the film was his sense of purpose. When he set his mind on a particular task, he would stop at nothing to achieve it. One such mission was when he dug a tunnel through which he escaped using the tiny hammer Red had gotten him. Andy also expanded the library in prison by writing numerous letters to the state board for donations. It took years, but it finally paid off. I learnt from Andy the meaning of resilience and keeping at a task even when it seems insurmountable.
I have always been curious about prisons, what inmates do. Do they just sit in their cells all day and meditate upon their crimes? Watching the film helped me to understand how prisons work. I felt sad at the treatment that they had to endure in there, but it helped to remember that they had committed crimes that warranted their imprisonment. One of the most challenging parts of the movie for me was watching the warden engage in corrupt activities such as s money laundering. Andy who had been a banker helped the warden keep his tracks clean. Andy seemingly has no choice but to go along with the warden’s activities. At the end of the movie, however, I was quite shocked when Andy escaped and took all the money he had hidden for the warden in various banks. This showed that Andy was a brilliant man who was quite cunning, all along I had believed him to be a helpless prisoner but he trained out to be a sly and shrewd schemer.
Red is one of my favourite people in the film. He is the one on whom all inmates can count to get them anything they wished for a price. He could smuggle all forms of contraband into the prison. I wonder how he did it, considering the prison was quite isolated and guarded. He also gives many of the inmates good advice. The Shawshank Redemption is an excellent film with credible characters and events, and I was left quite affected at the end of it. I have watched it severally just to see how Andy endured the harsh prison conditions for years with a goal of escaping to a far off island in mind. He eventually succeeded in his plan, and I was happy that he did, he had spent so much on preparing for the escape.