Nurse Anesthetist Follow-up of an Adolescent Female With Gunshot Trauma: A Case Study

PURPOSE.  This case study was written to demonstrate the usefulness of standardized nursing diagnoses, outcomes, and interventions in nurse anesthetist care of an adolescent trauma patient.

DATA SOURCES.  Literature reviews using Academic Premier, Google Scholar, and CINAHL databases were done to find current, relevant articles concerning evaluation and support of female African-American adolescents living in socially vulnerable and economically exploited environments.

DATA SYNTHESIS.  A case is presented and evidence from current publications is analyzed to support the diagnosis, outcomes, and interventions.

CONCLUSION.  The investment in extra time, care, and effort sometimes required for the full development of a treatment plan for teenagers who live where they are at high risk for violence and other consequences of stressful environments is a worthwhile one, even if results may require contact over an extended time period.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS.  Nurses of all specialty backgrounds need to be concerned with the progress of their patients. Sometimes nurses can best serve their patients by stepping away from the physiological event and focusing instead on responses in the domain of coping and stress tolerance as the root of difficulties.