Proper rest and sleep are important to good health …show more content…
“Sleep is a complex, active process that is programmed by man’s circadian rhythm”.(Honkus) Physiological changes such as body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, hormone secretion, sensory acuity, and behavioral functions are predictable and depend on the maintenance of that 24- hours cycle. Sleep deprivation can negatively affect the immune system and decrease the person’s ability to resist and fight illness - one of the direct causes of hospitalizations and prolonged stays. Research shows, that patients in ICU may spend 40% to 50% of their sleep time awake, and of the remaining sleep time only 3% to 4% in REM sleep. More time is spent to try to achieve sleep, and it is usually the first two stages, as any disruption of sleep shifts it back to the starting point of light …show more content…
This is a behavioral scale where the nurse observes the patient's different areas associated with the scale and scores the behavior of the patient on a scale of 0-2, with zero being hardly any discomfort and two being very irritated (Jarvis, 173). Another scale used for children is the Wong-Baker FACES scale. This scale uses six images of the same face, but each face has a different expression. It is scaled on a 0-5 range, with zero being no pain and a happy face, to five being hurts worst and sad crying face. For this scale the patient will point at the face that describes them (Potter, 974). The scale used most commonly for adults and the elderly is the PQRST Method. In this method the nurse asks for the provocation/palliation, quality/quantity, region/radiation, utilizes the severity scale, and asks for the timing (Jarvis, 167). The severity scale is among the most important questions because it asks pain rating on a scale of 0-10, with zero being no pain and ten being the worst pain