How to Care for Critical and Chronically Ill Patients

Caring for a critical or chronically ill patient can be challenging. According to Improving Chronic Illness Care, almost half of all Americans live with a chronic condition, and that number is expected to increase as our population ages. Millions of Americans live with multiple chronic conditions and many of these illnesses are classified as critical or life-threatening. Pain, fatigue and depression are just a few of the symptoms chronically ill patients experience every day. There are important factors to consider when caring for a critical or chronically ill patient to ensure the best care.

Instructions

• 1

  Educate yourself on the patient's illness to better understand how it affects your patient's everyday life. Although every person is unique, there are certain challenges that critical and chronically ill patients have in common. For example, WebMD reports that up to one-third of all individuals with a critical medical condition experience symptoms of depression.

• 2

  Create a care plan that includes a medication list and medical history for the patient. Ask your patient to be involved with creating a care plan to meet her daily needs and request input from other health care providers involved in the patient's treatment. Care plans provide organized guidelines for health care personnel to follow, resulting in a more successful outcome for condition management.

• 3

  Observe for condition changes in critical and chronically ill patients. Small changes are often an early sign of more serious problems to come in the future. Monitor the patient for nonverbal clues such as facial expressions of pain, hand gestures of discomfort and withdrawal from normal activities.

• 4

  Listen and offer emotional support for the patient dealing with chronic issues. Critically ill patients often feel angry, frustrated and discouraged about there prognosis. Remember that chronic diseases can be controlled with medical treatment, but they never go away, resulting in feelings of hopelessness and loss.

• 5

  Affirm the patient's worth and value by sending cards, flowers, or gift books to her. Feelings of worthlessness and insignificance are common in chronically ill people and sending a small token of remembrance can have a huge impact on her or his day. If possible, choose a gift that is uniquely special to the patient.

• 6

  Explore organizations and online resources for programs that benefit critical and chronically ill patients. The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, reports that chronic critical illness is a devastating condition, with the cost of treatment exceeding billions of dollars. Help your patient apply for government programs that assist chronically ill patients with medications and health care costs.

• 7

  Support the patient's choices for end-of-life care. Some critical and chronically ill patients choose to go on hospice, a program that provides comfort and relief at the end of life. Offer to attend a hospice support group or gather hospice related brochures for your patient to show your support of his decision for end-of-life care.