Kidney Transplant Paper

NURS 450 Adult Health Nursing III: Critical Care

Purpose of Assignment
The purpose of this paper is to provide the student with the opportunity to demonstrate
integration of the knowledge necessary to care for the patient with an organ transplant.
The paper should integrate knowledge from the physical, social and nursing sciences and
leaning theories to assist the patient and family in meeting their needs.
Student Approach to Assignment
This assignment required me to conduct extensive research and to produce
comprehensive information on renal transplants and its relation to nursing practice. The
paper consists of evidence-based information that can be beneficial to patients, families,
and nurses; furthermore, the information provided is current and credible. The data
provided in this paper, can thus assist in patient care that is holistic and current.
Reason for Inclusion of the Assignment in the Portfolio
I included this assignment into my portfolio because the research conducted for this paper
provided me the opportunity to incorporate teaching and education into my plan of care,
an area of nursing that I may want to one day explore. This paper provided pivotal
evidence based information regarding nursing care for the kidney transplant patient and
allowed me to expand my knowledge on organ donation.
v Critical Thinking
Uses decision-making skills in making clinical or professional judgements.
It is essential that nurses display critical thinking skills when making a
clinical decision. In kidney transplantation, there are many factors that the
nurse must assess for; these include assessing for organ rejection,
adherence to anti-rejection medications, coping mechanisims, and
adequate family support through out the process. The paper explores
possible clinical judgments that the nurse might encounter; these include
the need to implement teaching about the importance of adhering to the
medication regimen perscribed. Ensuring that the patient has adequatley
mastered the educational session on medication can promote a healthy
recovery and reduce the change of organ rejection.
v Nursing Practice
Applies appropriate knowledge of major health problems to guide nursing
practice.
The information provided in this paper consisted of current evidence based
research revolving kidney transplant. The paper consists of donor information,
recipient information, therapeutic management of transplantation and
discharge teaching. This information can guide the nursing process;
furthermore, it can also guide patient care at home. Additionally, the paper
explores infection control; infection control is pivotal due to

immunosuppression during a kidney transplant. This can guide nursing care

and promote optimal health.
v Communication
Produces clear, accurate, and relevant writing using correct grammar, spelling,
and punctuation.
This paper demonstrated current and relevant information. The topics
were organized and covered all the topics required on the rubric. The
paragraphs were clear of spelling and grammar errors and provided
clear and concise information. This is beneficial because the reader is
able to obtain the information in a clear and accurate read.

v Teaching
Provides teaching to patients and/or professionals about health care procedures
and technologies in preparation for and following nursing or medical
interventions.
This assignment includes comprehensive data on the management after
a kidney transplant. The education provided includes the importance of
adhering to immunosuppressant therapy, diet recommendation and
symptoms of rejection. The paper also includes additional teachings
that is imperative for the patient to know. These include side effects of
immunosuppressant drugs as well as the psychological and social
effects of kidney transplant. All of this is relevant information that can
contribute to the preparations following the surgery.
Evaluates the efficacy of health promotion and education modalities for use in a
variety of setting with diverse populations
Organ compatibility and management impact the outcome of kidney
transplant. Nursing must aim to educate the patient individually and
use the learning tools established specifically to that patient. The nurse
is responsible for assessing the learning needs of the patient such as
their literacy level, ability to comprehend information, and learning
style. Teachings provided must promote lessons specified to the
patient and provided with their learning style. This allows the
education provided to become more effective thus providing efficient
patient care (Saunders, Julkunen & Stevens, 2016). The nurse must
also assess the knowledge attained from an educational session by
asking questions that will assess their understanding. This can help
both donors and recipients ensure that they have an adequate
knowledge on the process of organ transplantation.

 Provides relevant and sensitive health education information and counseling to

patients, and families, in a variety of situations and settings.

The paper explored the different components to kidney transplant and

the effects that the process has on the patient and family. Holistic
education is promoted to the patient and family to better guide
anticipatory guidance; the patients family is thought the importance of
providing support for the patient so that they are able to recover. The
family is also educated on the importance of reporting any changes in
the patient. In a study, Sweet and Sour After Renal Transplantation,
A qualitative Study About The Positive And Negative Consequences
of Renal Transplantation explored the psychosocial effects experiences
by the patient post renal transplant., The results showed that patients
experienced a wide range of positive and negative emotions, in
particular, guilt, gratefulness, and fear, partly as a result of their
normative persuasions. The paper demonstrated the significance of
teaching both the patient and the family thus preventing any negative
outcomes while promoting optimal patient care.

v Research
Applies research based knowledge from nursing as the basis for culturally
sensitive practice
The research used for this assignment is from a nursing resarch
conducted to find the correlation beteeen organ rejection and
medication non compliance. The research findings reflects the
importance of adhering to immunosuppression therapy and found that
those who did not adequately adhere to the therapy had a higher
incidence of graft loss and mortality (Urden, Stacy, & Lough, 2014).
However, the research also acknowledged barriers to effective
management, which included financial problems that can prevent the
patient from getting prescriptions. This information can be used to
guide care that is culturally competent and sensitive.
v Professionalism
Applies an ethical decision-making framework and legal guidelines to clinical
situations that incorporate moral concepts, professional ethics, and advocacy
for patient well-being and preferences

 In organ donation, the donor must be fully informed about the nature
of the procedure and all the things that can go wrong. In contrast, the
recipient is also educated on the possibility of organ rejection as well
as the management needed post-surgery. It is essential that the nurse
ensures that the donor is willing to donate freely and is informed of
essential information. Additionally, the nurse should also assess for the
psychological effects in the recipient following the transplant. These
practices promote professional ethics and patient well-being. The
donor must fully want to donate for the transplantation procedure to
happen. It is pivotal that the nurse supports the donor and acknowledge
any outside influences considered in their decision. It is important that
the donor makes the decision freely and adheres to the ethical
principals established for the process.
Advocates for professional standards of practice using organizational
and political processes
The government regulates the policies and regulations for kidney
transplants. The paper includes guidelines and regulations that were
identified from the state laws criteria. This highlights the information
that is important for nurses to understand. Additionally, it provides
adequate information for kidney transplant guidelines thus providing
the nurse efficient data to advocate for his/her patient. During my
clinical rotation at Norfolk General Hospital, I cared for a patient that
received a kidney from his brother. As I got to the floor, he informed
me that he has been trying to see his brother all night but had not been
able to. I advocated for my patient by taking the necessary steps to find
out if seeing his brother was possible. I found that because of his
immune system it was not recommended that he goes to the unit where
his brother was; however, I was able to get his brother to come to
where he was.
v Culture
Integrates knowledge of cultural diversity in performing nursing interventions.
This assignment explored the impact that culture diversity has on
management. The paper emphasizes the importance of conducting a
full assessment on both the donor and recipient. It is essential that the
patients background information and home environment is assessed.
This allows the nurse to determine the educational needs of the patient.
For example, because there is a specific diet recommendation after
kidney transplant, the nurse can assess how this can be met by
assessing the cultural background of what is consumed at home.