Evidence-Based Practice Nursing Interventions and Treatment for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

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Evidence-Based Practice Nursing Interventions and Treatment for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Pain. Fatigue. Rashes. Depression. These are a few of the manifestations associated with systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disease that affects millions of people worldwide with eighty percent of them being women ages 15-45 (Tretheway, 2004). Systemic lupus erythematosus is a disease where the body literally attacks itself. For reasons that are not known, the body loses the ability to recognize cells or tissues as self and treats them as foreign, triggering a defensive immune response (Ignatavicius, 2010). SLE is a chronic and progressive disease that is complex, can lead to many complications and may be fatal. Proper treatment and addressing multiple manifestations as soon as they present can avoid further complications or damage to other body systems.

Levels of Care

Primary Care

As with any patient, appropriate measures to be taken to prevent systemic lupus erythematosus is the goal of primary health promotion. When considering primary measures it is important to educate the patient on multiple aspects that affect their life. Primary health promotion that would apply to anyone includes teaching about a healthy lifestyle, choosing nutritional food, safety measures when participating in certain activities, such as wearing a helmet when riding a bike or wearing sun block when exposed to the sun, and most importantly to advise and encourage the patient to have routine check-ups, regular exams and screenings along with receiving the appropriate immunizations. A more personalized approach for primary care would be the control or limitation to exposure of hazardous chemicals at work or at home, which leads to secon...

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...ioral Medicine, 35(1), 5-13. Retrieved November 2, 2011, from the CINAHL database

Ignatavicius, D.D. (2010). Medical-surgical nursing: Patient-centered collaborative care (6th Ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier

Pagana. K. D., & Pagana. T. J. (2010). Mosby’s manual of diagnostic and laboratory tests (4th Ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier

Tretheway, P. (2004). Systemic lupus erythematosus. Dimensions Of Critical Care Nursing, 23(3), 111-115. Retrieved November 2, 2011, from the CINAHL database

Vazquez, Y. R. (2011). Evidence-Based Practice Nursing Interventions for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Middle-Aged Women. Unpublished Research Paper, Central Arizona College, Coolidge, AZ.

Wheeler, T. (2010). Systemic lupus erythematosis: the basics of nursing care. British Journal of Nursing (BJN), 19(4), 249-253. Retrieved November 2, 2011, from the CINAHL database.

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