That night the nurses reported at their handover that Joan was particularly tired and by the end of the day had difficulty maintaining her sitting balance.
When the nurse went to speak to Joan and asked her how she was, Joan had said ‘I felt so much better yesterday but tonight I am exhausted’.
Q. Why do you think that Joan was so tired?
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Q. Why do you think that Joan was so tired?
Reason
Too few rest periods and these were too short – It would be desirable to factor in sufficient rest to allow her to have productive therapy sessions but also to retain sufficient energy to interact with staff and visitors. Planned rest periods should be protected.
Therapists have a number of patients to see and the slots she was allocated were too close together – Adequate communication is required between the team to ensure Joan’s therapy slots are scheduled to meet her needs.
She sat in a chair for 7 hours – This is potentially too long for Joan, as she has variable sitting balance, is subject to fatigue and also at risk of secondary complications such as skin breaks due to pressure.
Her large family and close friends came to visit – Perhaps there needs to be discussion with the family in order to limit the numbers attending at any given time. This could be a part of the ward protocol.
Possible reason
She would be susceptible to fatigue as a result of her stroke – This is a recognised symptom of stroke and needs to be effectively managed.
Her visitors were in for too long – Visitors should be educated about the effects of stroke, in particular fatigue. It might be possible to involve them in the therapeutic processes and so combine interaction with their relative with therapy time.
The therapists made her work too hard – Maybe this could be perceived as true, but appropriate levels of communication and education within the team should address this. Therapists require good feedback from the team with respect to the patients’ responses to their therapy.
NOT a reason
She doesn’t have enough stimulation – Joan has had a busy day. Her tiredness / fatigue is unlikely to be due to a lack of stimulation.
Page last reviewed: 27 Mar 2021
