[This tape was duplicated from a 16mm original by Colorlab for the National Library of Medicine, August 2004, NLM call number HF0742]]

[This film is distributed in the interest of public health by the New York State Department of Health Office of Public Health Education 18 Dove Street, Albany 6, N. Y.]

[The State of New York presents]

[Home Nursing in Pneumonia. Produced by N. Y. State Dept. of Health, Edward S. Godfrey Jr., M. D., Commissioner]

[Revised 1940 by Bureau of Pneumonia Control and Division of Public Health Education]

[In no disease is skilled nursing care more essential than in pneumonia. This picture shows a few important procedures which can be carried on in the home. A private duty nurse is desirable, but if one cannot be secured, a public health nurse can be called.]

[Narrator:] Absolute rest is an important factor in treatment and every effort should be made to prevent the seriously ill patient from waiting on himself.

Eating, drinking, changing position, and many other ordinary activities which seem to require but little exertion when one is well may become severe strains on a patient sick with pneumonia.

The public health nurse, even if she can make only one or two visits, often can teach the attendant better ways of caring for the patient.

The process of taking the increased amount of fluid which the doctor may order becomes exhausting when the patient has to lift his head many times a day to drink.

How much more simple drinking becomes when a soda straw or a glass tube is used.

Regular cleansing of the mouth is important. In pneumonia as in any other disease accompanied by fever, the lips and tongue become dry and uncomfortable. A solution with salt and baking soda is used as a mouthwash.

Regular bowel movements and emptying of the bladder are essential. This is particularly so if certain drugs are prescribed.

Sitting up on the bed pan is very exhausting.

A cold pan is most uncomfortable. It can be kept warm on a radiator or be warmed by rinsing with hot water.

An enema may be ordered for abdominal distension. The doctor may also request a record of the amount of fluid taken in and the approximate daily output.

A urinal should be provided for the male patient. Fatigue due to these necessary bodily functions can be minimized if the patient is kept in a reclining position when using the bedpan or urinal.

Let us show the bed pan technique using a demonstration subject. Bending the knees in this manner permits the most efficient use of powerful muscles of the thigh without danger of the feet slipping. With their hands well under the patient the nurse helps her raise her hips as the bed pan is slipped into place.

A sponge bath or alcohol rub and changing the bed linen ordinarily contribute to the patient's ability to rest, but can be very tiring if he has to lift or turn himself.

Note how the nurse is starting to turn the patient on his side. Turning is an essential step in giving a bath or changing the bed. When properly done, it requires little effort on the part of the patient and is less difficult for the attendant. The patient is kept covered as much as possible to prevent chilling.

Rubbing the back with alcohol cools the skin and relaxes the tired muscles. Particular attention is given to the shoulders, hips and lower part of the back.

We leave our patient again for a demonstration of the turning technique. Flexing the legs eliminates any pull on them as the hips are turned.

With a firm hold and a lifting movement the hips are partially turned. The legs are adjusted to maintain this position.

The shoulders are turned in like manner. The back is continuously supported. The hips are turned at right angles to the bed and lifted slightly backward. The legs are comfortably adjusted. The shoulder turn is completed.

An extra sheet which has been folded in half is used to protect the bottom sheet because it can be changed easily.

To avoid lifting the patient the sheet is pleated close to him while he's laying on his side.

When the patient is turned on his back, the sheet may be pulled through easily.

A nightgown if slit down the back can be put on more easily.

Pneumonia germs are contained in the discharges from the nose and throat. The wife is instructed to burn the newspaper bag which contains the soiled paper handkerchiefs.

Several thicknesses of clean tissues are placed within easy reach of the patient. Immediately after use they are dropped into a paper bag, which is pinned on the side of the bed.

When leaving, the nurse instructs the patient that complete rest will help him to get well quickly and that he must take it easy and let his wife help him in every way possible.

The use of a smock or apron in the sickroom and thorough washing of the hands upon leaving it are emphasized as a means of protecting other members of the household against the infection.

The nurse reviews her instructions and leaves a pamphlet on pneumonia care with specific points marked for reference. A plan for managing the household throughout the day and night is worked out, so that the wife may take care of the patient with the greatest conservation of her own strength.

The frequency of future nursing visits will be determined by the condition of the patient, the ability of the wife to give care and, of course, the urgency of other demands upon the nurse's time.

[The End]

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