home nursing care for bronchitis

nursing care for bronchitis

Bronchitis is often characterized by the infection, inflammation, or swelling of the bronchi lining or the airways in your lungs. The bronchial tubes transport oxygen in and out of your lungs. General symptoms include wheezing, coughing up sputum, chest discomfort and shortness of breath. Acute bronchitis is a regular type that is often triggered by viral infections, like flu or cold Chronic Bronchitis, on the other hand, is an infection that is chronic, and serious, and it often results from nonstop inflammation or irritation of your bronchial tubes. It is suggested that you opt for a nursing diagnosis for bronchitis if you have chronic bronchitis to help avoid any threats to your general health. 

symptoms of bronchitis

For acute or chronic bronchitis, symptoms and signs might often include the following; 

• Cough with the sputum or mucus generation, [yellowish-grey or clear white or has a slight green tinge] and might sometimes contain blood spots. 
• Shortness of breath
• Infection
• Abdominal distress
• Slight chills and fever

You may experience signs such as body aches or headaches if you have acute bronchitis. In general, the symptoms will improve within 7 days, but, if you have a severe cough that goes on for quite some weeks, then it might be a sign of chronic bronchitis. It is often characterized by a cough that tends to last for 3months at least and keeps returning with a bout for quite a long time.

For people who have chronic bronchitis, there might be phases of calm and no signs followed by phases when cough or any other symptoms turn worse. There might be a likelihood of having an infection and even acute bronchitis too, over the existing chronic bronchitis. So, it is better to opt for nursing management of bronchitis. 

causes of bronchitis

Frequent damage and irritation to your lung tissue and airways are what causes chronic bronchitis in the first place.

Other common causes of chronic bronchitis include smoking, continuous exposure to fumes, air pollution, dust in the environment and frequent acute bronchitis episodes. 

risk factors

Here are some of the risk factors.

• Cigarette smoke – People who smoke or happen to reside with other people who smoke are often are a greater risk of both types of bronchitis. 

• Reduced immunity – This might result owing to severe illness, including a cold, or even a chronic illness that compromises your immune system. Babies, children and the elderly are often at a higher risk. 

• Exposure to workplace irritants – Your danger of developing bronchitis is on the higher side if you work around particular lung irritants, such as fabrics or grains, or if you work near chemical fumes.

• Gastric reflux – Frequent bouts of acid reflux owing to GERD might infuriate the throat and make you likely to develop bronchitis.

nursing care for acute bronchitis

Here is a list of things that should be carried out by a nursing aide for nursing management of acute bronchitis.  

• Improve secretion by means of ambulation, deep breathing and coughing. 
• Increase intake of fluid to soften secretions and guard against dehydration that is often brought by tachypnea and fever.
• Promote rest, and prevention of bronchial irritants, together with a light and healthy diet to alleviate healing.
• Advise the individual to complete the whole course of antibiotics and describe the usage of healthy foods on pill absorption.
• Caution the person on using over-the-counter antihistamines, cough suppressants, and decongestants, as they may induce retention and drying secretions. 
• Advise the person that a dry cough might continue following irritation of the airways. Recommend avoiding environments that are dry and propose the usage of a humidifier. Encourage the individual to stop smoking completely.
• Educate the person to recognize and immediately report the primary symptoms of acute bronchitis.

nursing interventions for chronic bronchitis

Here is a list of things that a nursing assistant must perform when it comes to nursing management for chronic bronchitis. 

• Answer the questions of the patient and encourage him/her and the family to articulate their concerns about the disease
• As required, carry out chest physiotherapy, including chest percussion and vibration and postural drainage quite a lot of times daily.
• Ensure that the individual gets adequate fluids [3 litres a day] to loosen secretions.
• Arrange for respiratory therapy 1 hour prior to or after meals.
• Offer mouth care following bronchodilator inhalation therapy.
• Promote daily activities and offer diversional activities as suitable.
• In order to conserve the energy of the patient and avoid fatigue, the nursing assistant should help him/her to rotate periods of activity and rest. 
• Give medications as ordered and make a note of the response of the patient to those medications. 
• Help the patient with modifications in baseline respiratory function.
• Assess sputum quantity and quality, increased tachypnea, altered breath sounds and restlessness and report changes straight away.
• Monitor the weight of the patient by weighing them thrice a week. 
• Evaluate the nutritional status of the patient regularly. 
• Watch out for signs of respiratory infection like increased cough, fever, purulent sputum and sputum production.
• Inform the individual to stay away from crowds and other people with known infections and get pneumococcus and influenza immunizations.

treatment for bronchitis

In general, the doctor will suggest you take good rest and drink lots of fluids. A bout of bronchitis is self-resolving and might disappear on its own. Consuming fluids and allowing some rest for your body might allow the signs to go away faster. 

A cough suppressant is suggested only if you are not able to pull up mucus. If you are able to get mucus out, it generally means that the airways are clearing on their own. The doctor might prescribe a pain reliever and inhaled medications or bronchodilators that aid in opening airways. 

Portea works with the most important hospitals, experienced nurses, doctors, and diagnostic centres to enhance health outcomes for individuals and profitability for their partners. They are located in over 40 cities across the nation and they continue to aspire to offer quality medical care to their customers no matter where they are located.