Are your parents ageing, but you do not want to send them to a care facility for the elderly? Are you looking to hire a private nurse to take care of your elderly loved one? If so, you should first learn about the duties and responsibilities of a private nurse.
The duties and responsibilities of a home nurse are varied and centre on taking care of their patients. If you’d like to learn more about what roles you can expect from a private nurse, feel free to continue reading our blog below.
The Duties Of A Private Nurse
While different patients have different requirements, some of the duties that private nurses undertake include the following:
1). Administer Physician-Ordered Treatments
A private nurse helps administer treatment orders that doctors provide. In certain cases, they’re responsible for undertaking treatment tasks such as injections and administering medication. In other cases, the private nurse is responsible for providing medical procedures such as drawing blood, giving enemas, changing catheters, and tube-feeding patients.
In case of an injury, private nurses are also responsible for treating and dressing wounds. Other medical procedures that private nurses provide include limited IV therapy, ventilator care, seizure disorder care, insulin administration, general diabetes care, and spinal cord injury care.
While private nurses are responsible for seeing through their patient’s treatment plans as developed by the physician, sometimes the nurses have to create a treatment plan of their own. When faced with certain illnesses that do not require the input of specialised medical expertise, the nurse can create a treatment plan for the patient. For instance, a private nurse can create a treatment plan for the common cold.
2). Undertake Patient Assessments
Home nurses are responsible for continuously completing patient assessments at home. They will check the patient’s vital signs regularly and track their physical well-being. It’s the duty of a private nurse to monitor the medical status of the patient at different stages of the treatment. Using this information, the nurse can recommend adjustments to the treatment plans. They can also recommend or request additional services and equipment to benefit their patient.
3). Patient Care Documentation
Aside from checking their patients’ vital signs regularly and tracking their patients’ well-being, private nurses are responsible for completing the patient care documentation. Keeping a thorough record of all aspects of the patient’s health and the treatment plans to manage or cure any illness they undertake is vital in ensuring the patient’s physician understands the patient’s health status.
4). Assess The Patient’s Medication Intake
A home nurse must assess the medication prescription and ensure they comply with the physician’s orders. Private nurses should ensure their patient takes the proper medication dosage. They should also organise weekly pills in the pill bins, helping the patient take medication without getting confused.
5). Maintain All The Medical Equipment Used
A private nurse will have a variety of different medical equipment to monitor or render medical services to the patient. They are adept at using medical equipment and are responsible for maintaining the equipment and ensuring it’s in proper working order. Whether the patient relies on respirators or drips, the nurse must maintain the patient’s medical equipment properly.
6). General Hygiene Of The Patient
For incapacitated patients, the private nurse is responsible for the personal hygiene of the patient. Aspects of the patient’s sanitary needs that the nurse will cater to include bathing, going to the toilet, and changing the bed sheet. Given that personal hygiene is linked to the well-being of patients, the nurse will take care of the patient’s sanitary needs daily, especially if they are incapacitated.
Final Thoughts
As you can appreciate, private nurses work to improve the safety and medical well-being of patients. In short, private nurses take care of patients similarly to nurses in general hospitals while at the patient’s home. They help your loved one manage an ailment or a condition in the comfort of their home.
Call Luxe Care today at 1300 848 365 or leave an enquiry to hire the highest quality personalised private care!
