Nursing
- Benson A.R
The fundamental principle in nursing a child during illness is absolute and complete rest. This means not only that the child should be kept at rest in bed, but that the digestive organs should be rested also by the lightest possible diet. Older children should be kept on milk, and with artificially fed infants, the food should be diluted at least one-half. Children should never be urged to eat if there is no desire for food. A few hours' fasting at the beginning of an illness does no harm and will often allow an irritable stomach to become rested.
The room should be well ventilated, quiet and not too light. It is always wise to be prepared for contagious diseases, and in cases which are suspicious, and in which the diagnosis has not been established, it is better to isolate the patient from the other members of the family. For the same reason it is better to remove from the sick room, all articles which cannot be easily disinfected. The general rules previously given for the nursery apply equally well for the sick room.
Meddlesome nursing, is worse than none. Children, if fairly quiet, should be left alone. They should not be talked to and entertained. The nurse's attitude should be one of continual watchfulness rather than aggressive activity.
Homoeopathic physicians require detailed information as to the condition of the patient. No symptom is too trivial to record. Sometimes the selection of the right remedy depends entirely upon the powers of observation of the nurse.
External applications, gargles, and mouth washes should never be used except when directed. Cathartics are almost never used for children. When necessary, enemas can be resorted to. Drugs and other articles having a strong odor, like perfumery and camphor, should be rigorously excluded from the sick room. Pure air has no odor.
Enemas : For enemas it is best to use a rubber fountain syringe. A soft rubber catheter makes the best tip. If it is only desired to obtain a movement of the bowels, about an inch of the catheter is passed into the rectum and a cupful of warm soap suds is allowed to run into the bowel slowly. The bag should not be held high and the flow should be interrupted occasionally.
When it is desired to wash out the bowel, the same apparatus may be used, but a larger quantity of liquid (from a pint to a quart), and the buttocks of the child should be elevated. Care should be used not to allow the water to flow too rapidly or with too much force.
It is sometimes desirable to use pure olive oil, 1 to 2 ounces. The oil should be warmed and allowed to enter the rectum very slowly. Olive oil and warm water, 1 ounce to the pint, is frequently useful in cases of extreme constipation.
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| Nursing |
The room should be well ventilated, quiet and not too light. It is always wise to be prepared for contagious diseases, and in cases which are suspicious, and in which the diagnosis has not been established, it is better to isolate the patient from the other members of the family. For the same reason it is better to remove from the sick room, all articles which cannot be easily disinfected. The general rules previously given for the nursery apply equally well for the sick room.
Meddlesome nursing, is worse than none. Children, if fairly quiet, should be left alone. They should not be talked to and entertained. The nurse's attitude should be one of continual watchfulness rather than aggressive activity.
Homoeopathic physicians require detailed information as to the condition of the patient. No symptom is too trivial to record. Sometimes the selection of the right remedy depends entirely upon the powers of observation of the nurse.
External applications, gargles, and mouth washes should never be used except when directed. Cathartics are almost never used for children. When necessary, enemas can be resorted to. Drugs and other articles having a strong odor, like perfumery and camphor, should be rigorously excluded from the sick room. Pure air has no odor.
Enemas : For enemas it is best to use a rubber fountain syringe. A soft rubber catheter makes the best tip. If it is only desired to obtain a movement of the bowels, about an inch of the catheter is passed into the rectum and a cupful of warm soap suds is allowed to run into the bowel slowly. The bag should not be held high and the flow should be interrupted occasionally.
When it is desired to wash out the bowel, the same apparatus may be used, but a larger quantity of liquid (from a pint to a quart), and the buttocks of the child should be elevated. Care should be used not to allow the water to flow too rapidly or with too much force.
It is sometimes desirable to use pure olive oil, 1 to 2 ounces. The oil should be warmed and allowed to enter the rectum very slowly. Olive oil and warm water, 1 ounce to the pint, is frequently useful in cases of extreme constipation.
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