Spina bifida is a developmental disorder during birth as a result of malformations of the spinal cord and spine, and falls within the larger neural tube defects type of disorders. The neural tube forms the embryonic system that ultimately develops into the infant’s spinal cord and brain as well as their enclosing tissues.
PNP diagnosis and care plan for spina bifida exploits seven standard criteria, including urinary elimination impairment, disturbed body image, infection risk, hypothermia, bowel incontinence, disrupted family processes, and injury risk (Fischer et al., 2015) . Hypothermia diagnosis includes abnormally low body temperature associated with a disease condition. In particular, PNP diagnose hypothermia through cool skin, heat and fluid losses from largely exposed sac regios, and abnormally low temperature. Positive diagnoses of hypothermia are made when a child’s temperature stays above 97.8 degrees Fahrenheit (Beierwaltes, 2019) .
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PNP care plan for spina bifida patient entails infection prevention, maintenance of skin integrity, prevention of trauma and associated diseases, improving coping skills of family members’ spina bifida condition education and support (Nurseslabs, 2017 . In particular, children with spina bifida requires a multitude of medical care, including neurological, Urologic, pediatric, orthopedic, and gastrointestinal care. PNP are also responsible for helping spina bifida patients to cope with probable emotional, educational, and psychosocial issues (Murray et al., 2014). A pediatric primary care nurse practitioner (PNP) is also responsible for the promotion of optimal relationship between the patient and his/her community and family.
Long term care for spina bifida children further requires monitoring of temperature pattern after every two to four hours to check extremity temperature. Temperature monitoring helps in providing data on the possible cause of temperature variations to abnormally low levels as a possible sign of infection. PNP care for bona bifida patients also includes delivery of radiant warmer or the placement of bona bifida babies in an isolate incubator according to hypothermia assessment and maintaining sac moist postoperatively.
References
Beierwaltes, P. (2019). Guidelines for Care of People with Spina Bifida. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 45 , 81-82.
Fischer, N., Church, P., Lyons, J., & Mcpherson, A. C. (2015). A qualitative exploration of the experiences of children with spina bifida and their parents around incontinence and social participation. Child: Care, Health and Development, 41 (6), 954-962.
Murray, C. B., Lennon, J. M., Devine, K. A., Holmbeck, G. N., Klages, K., & Potthoff, L. M. (2014). The influence of social adjustment on normative and risky health behaviors in emerging adults with spina bifida. Health Psychology, 33 (10), 1153-1163.
Nurseslabs. (2017, September 23). Spina Bifida Pediatric Nursing Care Management and Study Guide. Retrieved July 24, 2019, from https://nurseslabs.com/spina-bifida/
