The new drugs which have been found so successful in curing pneumonia
occasionally make the patient nauseated and uncomfortable for a time.
The curative serums which are used for certain types of pneumonia,
also may sometimes produce unpleasant reactions temporarily. With both
treatments it is essential that the patient be watched over by alert
attendants at all times. Hence many doctors prefer that the pneumonia
patient be taken to the hospital as soon as he becomes sick so that he
can have the benefit of constant nursing care and so that everything
possible may be done to avoid unpleasant reactions or allay the
symptoms if they should occur.
If the patient must remain at home it is evident that he should have
the best possible nursing care. When a full-time nurse is not to be
in attendance, then the visiting nurse should be called in promptly.
She not only will give the care to the patient that the doctor orders
but will instruct the members of the family who must attend to the
patient’s needs during her absence.
In addition to receiving the treatment already discussed, it is
essential that the patient’s position in bed be changed at intervals to
relieve congestion and increase comfort. From lying on his back he may
be moved to one side or the other, but this, too, must be done for him.
So, it is evident that constant care is vitally needed.
The doctor’s orders must be followed to the last detail. Nothing
is unimportant. The nurse will assist the attendants in following
instructions. She will teach them what to observe in the patient’s
condition, how to report the progress of the disease to the physician,[C]
and will advise the members of the family how to prevent the spread of
the patient’s infection to others in the household.
[C] The two booklets, “Home Care of Communicable Diseases” and “Caring
for the Sick in the Home,” will prove useful as supplements to the
nurse’s instruction. They are free for the asking.