[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › Nursing # Nursing: fundamentals and procedures Bedside care and procedures, step by step, with the why. 430 pages ## Start here - [Safe practice **Care after abdominal surgery (appendix, gallbladder, bowel, hernia): drains, return of bowel function and leak warning signs** After abdominal surgery: watch the pulse, the abdomen and the drains, help bowel function…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/care-after-abdominal-surgery-drains-return-of-bowel-function-and-leak-warning-si/) - [Assessment **Bleeding in pregnancy: early (miscarriage, ectopic, molar) and late (previa, abruption) from the nursing side** Any vaginal bleeding in pregnancy is treated as a possible emergency: the nurse assesses the…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/bleeding-in-pregnancy-early-and-late-from-the-nursing-side/) - [Safe practice **Nursing the patient in shock: early signs, monitoring, fluid challenge and fluid overload, positioning, by type of shock** In shock the nurse spots poor perfusion early, measures the response to each fluid challenge…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/nursing-the-patient-in-shock-early-signs-monitoring-fluid-challenge-and-fluid-ov/) - [Safe practice **Community control of vector-borne disease: breeding sites, home visits and warning signs** The nurse helps families find and remove mosquito breeding sites, protect themselves from bites…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/community-control-of-vector-borne-disease-breeding-sites-home-visits-and-warning/) - [Safe practice **Nursing the child with congenital heart disease: feeding, hypercyanotic spells, heart failure and catheterisation** Babies with heart defects tire while feeding and can turn blue or develop heart failure; the…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/nursing-the-child-with-congenital-heart-disease-feeding-hypercyanotic-spells-hea/) - [Safe practice **Child and adolescent mental-health nursing: approach, family, school and ADHD medicine monitoring** The nurse builds trust at the child's level, works with family and school, uses behavioural…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/child-and-adolescent-mental-health-nursing-approach-family-school-and-adhd-medic/) - [Procedure **Airway clearance: incentive spirometry, deep breathing, coughing and oscillating devices** Slow deep breaths, effective coughing and simple devices open the small airways and move mucus…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/airway-clearance-incentive-spirometry-deep-breathing-coughing-and-oscillating-de/) - [Calculation **Continuous infusions: concentration and rate per kilogram per minute** For continuous infusions, work out the concentration of the mixture and convert the ordered dose…](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/continuous-infusions-concentration-and-rate-per-kilogram-per-minute/) ## Areas - [**Medical–surgical nursing** 83 pages Care after abdominal surgery (appendix, gallbladder, bowel, hernia): drains, return of bowel function and leak warning signs · Dengue, malaria and other tropical fevers on the ward: warning signs, fluid monitoring and vector protection · Raised intracranial pressure on the ward and after head injury or brain surgery: signs, positioning, what to avoid](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/med-surg/) - [**Maternal and child nursing** 49 pages Bleeding in pregnancy: early (miscarriage, ectopic, molar) and late (previa, abruption) from the nursing side · Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and Chagas (ETMI-plus): tests, timing and follow-up · STI counselling: risk reduction, testing, partner notification and condom teaching](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/maternal-child/) - [**Critical care** 41 pages Nursing the patient in shock: early signs, monitoring, fluid challenge and fluid overload, positioning, by type of shock · The trauma patient in the ICU: the primary and secondary survey from the nursing side, the tertiary survey and complications to watch · Intracranial pressure monitoring and the external ventricular drain: levelling, drainage, waveforms and infection](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/critical-care/) - [**F** **Family and community nursing** 40 pages Community control of vector-borne disease: breeding sites, home visits and warning signs · Environmental health nursing: exposures, the exposure history, safe water and risk communication · Outbreak response from the nursing side: notification, field tasks and control measures](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/community/) - [**Paediatric nursing** 39 pages Nursing the child with congenital heart disease: feeding, hypercyanotic spells, heart failure and catheterisation · The child with cancer: neutropenic precautions, mucositis, nausea, the central line and the family · The adolescent patient: confidentiality, the HEADSSS interview from the nursing side, screening and referral](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/pediatric/) - [**Mental health and psychiatric nursing** 35 pages Child and adolescent mental-health nursing: approach, family, school and ADHD medicine monitoring · Caring for a person with dementia: communication, behaviours, wandering, safety and caregiver support · Substance use from the nursing side: screening, intoxication, harm reduction and recovery](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/mental-health/) - [**Procedures** 21 pages Airway clearance: incentive spirometry, deep breathing, coughing and oscillating devices · Airway suctioning: oral, nasal and artificial airways · Blood cultures: technique that avoids contamination](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/procedures/) - [**M** **Medications and dose calculation** 16 pages Continuous infusions: concentration and rate per kilogram per minute · Continuous subcutaneous infusion and hypodermoclysis · Dose calculation: the formula method and dimensional analysis](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/medication/) - [**Vital signs and assessment** 12 pages Capillary blood glucose testing · Cardiac monitoring at the bedside: leads, alarms and rhythm changes to report · Counting respirations without the patient noticing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/vitals/) - [**Patient safety** 11 pages Adverse events: reporting, analysis and a just culture · Caring for an existing pressure injury by stage · Correct patient identification](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/safety/) - [**Nursing theories and models** 10 pages Callista Roy's adaptation model · Dorothea Orem's self-care deficit theory and the nursing systems · Florence Nightingale's environmental theory](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/theory/) - [**Adult health and psychosocial care** 10 pages Culturally competent care in practice · Living with chronic illness: self-management and the nurse's role · Non-drug pain relief: what nurses do](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/adult-health/) - [**The nursing process and documentation** 9 pages Delegation and the care team: professional nurses, nursing auxiliaries and students · Handoff and SBAR communication · Implementation and evaluation: was the goal met?](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/process/) - [**Infection prevention and control** 9 pages Clean and sterile technique: medical and surgical asepsis · Cleaning, disinfection and sterilization of equipment · Healthcare waste: segregation and colour codes in Colombia](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/infection/) - [**Mobility and comfort** 8 pages Bed bath, oral care and hygiene of the dependent patient · Body mechanics and safe patient handling · Complications of immobility and how to prevent them](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/mobility/) - [**C** **Care management** 8 pages Assigning patients and setting priorities across several patients · Colombia's mandatory health-care quality system: habilitación, auditoría and acreditación · Managing nursing care: planning, organising, directing and controlling a unit](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/management/) - [**IV therapy and fluids** 7 pages Blood transfusion: bedside checks, monitoring and reactions · Caring for a peripheral IV line: flushing, dressing and when to remove it · Central venous catheter care](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/iv-fluids/) - [**P** **Perioperative nursing** 7 pages Enhanced recovery after surgery: the nursing elements · Immediate recovery after anaesthesia: monitoring and discharge criteria · Intraoperative nursing: scrub and circulating roles, positioning and counts](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/perioperative/) - [**Nutrition and elimination** 5 pages Bowel elimination: constipation, enemas and faecal impaction · Dysphagia and aspiration precautions · Enteral feeding: checking the tube, feeding and care](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/nutrition/) - [**Emergencies and life support** 4 pages Basic life support from the nursing side · Choking: foreign-body airway obstruction · Recognising deterioration and calling the rapid response team](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/emergency/) - [**End of life** 4 pages Care after death · Nursing care of the dying patient · Supporting the family and grief](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/end-of-life/) - [**The profession in Colombia** 2 pages Ley 266 de 1996: the nursing profession in Colombia · Ley 911 de 2004: nursing ethics and the disciplinary regime](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/profession/) - ## A to Z - [A](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/a/) - [B](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/b/) - [C](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/c/) - [D](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/d/) - [E](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/e/) - [F](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/f/) - [G](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/g/) - [H](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/h/) - [I](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/i/) - [J](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/j/) - [K](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/k/) - [L](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/l/) - [M](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/m/) - [N](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/n/) - [O](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/o/) - [P](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/p/) - [Q](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/q/) - [R](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/r/) - [S](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/s/) - [T](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/t/) - [U](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/u/) - [V](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/v/) - [W](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/w/) - [Y](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/a-z/y/) ## About this section What every nursing student, and every other health student, needs at the bedside: the nursing process, how to measure vital signs correctly, patient safety, infection prevention, giving medications and calculating doses and drip rates, and the procedures step by step with the reason for each step and when to call for help. With the Colombian framework: Law 266 of 1996, Law 911 of 2004 and the national immunization programme (PAI). Educational content for students; it does not replace your institution's protocols, supervised clinical training or a prescriber's order. Dose-calculation examples use made-up numbers: they are educational, not a clinical order. Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/nursing/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/nursing/