Introduction
Medical emergency is a disease that seriously affects the body's vital functions, thus endangering the patient's life.
For example, acute myocardial infarction seriously affects the circulatory function, intestinal occlusion seriously affects the digestive function, and renal failure affects the excretory function. If at first the emergency can affect only a certain function, along the way it leads to the impairment of other vital functions as well (eg cardiac arrest brings with it the rapid establishment of respiratory arrest).
Some medical-surgical emergencies, such as the case of wounds or fractures, appear suddenly, in full health, the consequence, most of the time, of an accident. Others such as myocardial infarction or stroke can appear suddenly, in apparent health, but against the background of atherosclerotic disorders that have evolved asymptomatically. Some emergencies may appear against the background of chronic conditions known to the patient and could be anticipated and prevented by presenting to the family doctor as soon as possible. Thus, if a patient with angina pectoris begins to experience chest pain at rest or even during the night, it could be unstable angina, which is a risk factor for acute myocardial infarction.
Recognizing an emergency can be done depending on the severity and the speed with which it affects the body's functions, which in turn can be assessed based on a series of characteristic signs and symptoms. For example, abdominal pain can be the expression of a duodenal ulcer or an irritable colon, but violent abdominal pain is the expression of an abdominal emergency such as duodenal perforation or ruptured ectopic pregnancy, etc.
Administration of medicines is one of the biggest responsibilities of the nurse. In order to provide the patient with an effective and correct drug therapy, the medical assistant must be familiar with the indications, dosages and effects of the prescribed drug. Also, the patient must be asked before each administration about possible allergic reactions in the past to the respective substance. The medical assistant must have the knowledge and skills to minimize the patient's anxiety and maximize the effectiveness of the medicine (knowing the method of administration, time, etc.).