Why pathophysiology is important

The researchers of this area play today a crucial role, since any advance they carry out can help saving thousands of lives: there still are many unknown diseases and although this science has advanced enormously in the last two centuries, it still have a long way to go. Pathophysiology: all you need to know. The initial phase covers the first changes that suffer the organism since the moment in which the disease starts until the moment when the first symptoms are produced.

In this phase the patient does not suffer substantial changes since the disease develops without the subject noticing; depending on the disease, this phase has different durations. The clinical phase begins when the disease stars to show its characteristic symptoms. The focus of pathphysiology is much different than the study of pathology, which some students mistakenly use interchangeably. It is important that a nurse is able to identify medical issues and then develop a treatment plan when they coordinate with physicians and other staff.

If the patient has a disease or a syndrome that can damage the organs and the way that they function, knowing what steps must be taken to restore them back to good health is critical. Since nurses will technically use pathopysiology whenever they make a contact with a patient, passing coursework that is focused on this study is crucial. A course in Pathophysiology will teach students how they can identify the abnormal functions that are caused by disease.

The professor will teach you the principles of the study, how to use critical thinking skills to apply these principles, how to explain the effects of disease, risks in the environment that lead to disease, and different factors that can affect healing.

Pathophysiology is vital for nurses to understand. But as nurses, it is our job to reassure patients and help them stay calm so they can heal. Explaining why they are undergoing tests, will give them peace of mind.

Understanding it also helps you react to abnormal changes in patients faster and with more accuracy. Why are they all of a sudden experiencing this change? What do we need to do to help them? Is this an emergency? These are all questions we answer on a daily basis. Pathophysiology lays the foundation for thinking like a nurse and must be deeply understood for pharmacology, fluids and electrolytes, and even nursing to make sense. See free webinar, Clinical Reasoning Made Simple plus download my clinical reasoning questions!

Sepsis is a common clinical complication I see in clinical practice. Therefore I made it a priority to deeply understand sepsis, the inflammatory response, and the physiologic changes that are present. By understanding pathophysiology, I immediately recognize the significance of elevation in the serum lactate, WBC, neutrophils , elevated heart rate as an EARLY compensatory response to a low cardiac output state and the significance of the LATE finding of a lowered blood pressure.

As a result, the potential to fail to rescue is potentially present. For example, I have responded to calls to assist a nurse when a patient has a low systolic blood pressure that was now in the 70s, but the nurse was not initially concerned when the systolic blood pressure began to drop into the 90s then 80s because the patient had no complaint and from their perspective was not ill appearing. In workshops I have presented around the country, I have had numerous educators tell me that they were told that once something has been taught such as pathophysiology, it should not be mentioned or brought up again.

The science of learning is now telling us that repetition with active learning creates new neuronal connections that lead to long-term retention. For new knowledge to stick, it must be integrated with prior learning. Pathophysiology does not need to be re-taught but it must be briefly highlighted in everything that is taught in nursing education, so this needed repetition and integration with prior learning takes place.

Here are three practical strategies that any educator can implement to effectively situate pathophysiology and contextualize it in both the classroom and clinical settings. To help nurse educators easily integrate pathophysiology in both the classroom and clinical settings I will share three simple strategies that I have successfully used to strengthen the learning of my students that also helps them think more like a nurse! Begin each lecture with its pathophysiology! But before you do, ask a question or two related to pathophysiology to see what your students can recall from prior learning.

You may be surprised to see how much they have forgotten! Therefore, every illness or disease that is presented in the classroom must have a brief review of the pathophysiology of the illness and disease process. Just one or two slides will suffice. Once the pathophysiology of the disease process or concept you are teaching with a related exemplar, pharmacologic management must also be discussed.

Use this opportunity to briefly highlight the mechanism of action of these most essential and commonly used medications. Use the terminology in a nursing drug guide or better yet go to Micromedex which has a much more detailed explanation of the pathophysiology in the mechanism of action section. For example, this is the explanation of the mechanism of action of Amiodarone, a common anti-arrhythmic in Micromedex:.

Would your students be able to recall the stages of the cardiac action potential and the relationship of blocking potassium channels and slowed conduction? Use your lecture to briefly explain this critical content to help them understand and APPLY this content to practice!