Reflective Journal
Hypovolemia and Hypervolemia
The training obtained from the nursing school is quite critical in ensuring that the nurses transition into service delivery when they have the needed expertise. Currently, I am confident that I can manage various patient situations because I understand the disease process. As I transition into the field, I will, no doubt, apply the knowledge and skills obtained from the nursing school to ensure that I deliver quality healthcare services to the patients that I will interact with. The reflective journal describes the transformation that I have had as far as the training is concerned with close reference to hypovolemia and hypervolemia.
To be honest, I had no idea what hypervolemia and hypovolemia meant before getting accepted into the nursing school (Beneš, 2019). However, so much has changed and I now understand the meanings of the two disorders, their pathophysiology, patient diagnosis, clinical presentations as well as the treatment options. By definition, hypovolemia is a term used to refer to patients with a low intravascular volume (Egal, 2018). The volume depletion often results from loss of blood, salt, or blood as a result of an injury. On the other hand, hypervolemia is a condition characterized by fluid overload.
I have noticed that there are differences between the two disorders. The causes of the two disorders create a significant difference. Whereas hypervolemia results from the inability of the kidney to filter excess fluids from the blood, hypovolemia often results from an injury that leads to significant loss of blood thus reducing intravascular fluid. The other significant difference between the two disorders is in their treatment (Beneš, 2019). Hypervolemia treatment involves the use of diuretics whereas the treatment of hypovolemia may involve the administration of intravenous fluids and blood transfusion. The only similarity that I have noticed with the two disorders is that that they impact intravascular volume.
References
Beneš, J. (2019). Diagnosing hypovolemia and hypervolemia: from clinical examination to modern methods. Vnitrni lekarstvi, 65(3), 170-176.
Egal, M. (2018). Urine Output-Based Fluid Management in the Critically Ill: assessing hypovolemia and preventing hypervolemia.
Appendices
Hypovolemia Concept Map
Hypervolemia Concept Map