Health, Hygiene and Home Nursing: Vital Signs, First Aid and Care of the Bedridden
Health and hygiene
WHO (1948) defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". Hygiene covers personal cleanliness (bath, oral care, handwashing), food hygiene, environmental hygiene (safe water, sanitation, waste disposal) and menstrual hygiene. Handwashing with soap at critical times prevents diarrhoea and respiratory infection.
Vital signs
- Temperature: 37 °C (98.6 °F) orally.
- Pulse: 60–100 beats per minute in adults; faster in children and infants.
- Respiration: 12–20 breaths per minute in adults.
- Blood pressure: about 120/80 mmHg.
First aid and home nursing
First aid is immediate, temporary care before professional help. For burns: cool with running water for about 20 minutes, cover, and do not apply oil or toothpaste. For a fracture: immobilise, do not realign. CPR compressions to breaths are 30:2 for adults. Snake bite: keep the person calm and still, immobilise the limb, do not cut or suck. The sick room should be well ventilated, quiet and near a toilet. Bedridden patients need two-hourly position change, back care and skin inspection to prevent pressure sores, plus mouth care and adequate fluids.
Worked example
A woman counts 72 beats in 30 seconds. Reasoning: multiply by 2 → 144 beats per minute, above the adult range of 60–100. Since she has just climbed stairs, let her rest and recount after five minutes before calling it tachycardia.
Traps
- Saying health is only the absence of disease.
- Confusing pulse and respiration ranges.
- Putting butter, oil or toothpaste on a burn.
- Counting a 30-second pulse without doubling it.