Nursing Diagnosis for Alcoholism
Alcoholism is the use of alcohol in a harmful way. The disorder causes people to be dependent on the substance. It leads to life problems and serious health, personal and societal problems. Alcoholism affects all body systems and causes many health issues. This includes memory disorders, liver disease, muscle weakness, high blood pressure, nutritional deficiencies, clotting disorders, anemia, low blood sugar, pancreatic problems and weak bones.
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Instructions
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Know that there are two diagnoses for trouble with alcohol--alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse. Dependence is when someone is physiologically dependent on it and abuse is when the use of alcohol severely impacts their life.
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A patient with any three of the traits that follow that can be diagnosed as being dependent on alcohol:
The person drinks more that they mean to.
Their tolerance continues to increase.
They can't stop drinking once they start.
They experience withdrawal if they don't drink.
They spend large amounts of time abusing alcohol.
They drink rather than performing other important tasks.
They drink even though it negatively affects their relationships, health, job or education. -
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Identify alcohol abuse if the person does one of the following things in a one-year period of time: gets in trouble with the law, puts himself or others in physical danger, doesn't live up to their responsibilities or has difficulties with jobs or relationships.
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Use the CAGE questionnaire to diagnose alcoholism. Ask if the person ever attempted to cut down on their drinking, has been annoyed by someone's comments about their drinking, has felt guilty about drinking, or need an eye-opener (alcohol in the morning) to begin their day.
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Perform a physical examination to find signs of alcoholism. This includes fluid in the abdomen, evidence of previous injuries, a yellow hint of color in the skin, enlarged veins just under the skin near the belly bottom and decreased testicular size.
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Use lab work to see if the size of the red blood cells have increased or there are abnormalities in the platelets.
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