Inpatient Dialysis

Mrs. P. V., a 50-year-old, African American female with a diagnosis of sepsis. She had a history of various medical conditions, including diabetes mellitus, leucopenia, orthostatic hypotension, HIV, and end stage renal disease. She had all toes amputated on he left foot and an index finger on her left arm. Mrs. P. V. is also a dialysis patient, who visits Inpatient Dialysis Unit at the SGMC. She was sent to the ED from Inpatient Dialysis Unit for altered mental status with somnolence, low blood pressure, and hypothermia. According to daughter, who was at the bedside, the patient started being somnolent, confused, and having a poor appetite for about a week. After receiving a night shift report, my preceptor Dora and I, went to assess the patient. She had slowed and slurred speech; alert and oriented ×2 (name and location). Mrs. P. V.’s blood pressure was 70/30 mm Hg, temperature 94.8° F, potassium level 3.0 mmol/L, BUN 80 mg/dL, WBC 2.8 mcL, and creatinine level 2.61mg/dL. According to the night shift nurse, she was hesitant to provide
287). However, stigma and discrimination towards patients with positive IV status still remains prevalent in hospital setting and prevents HIV positive patients to receive appropriate services. Nurses’ avoidance of HIV positive patient is relayed to the lack of universal precaution supplies and procedures in the hospital, and the fear of contracting HIV. Health care personnel’ avoidance attitude towards HIV positive patients are highly negatively corresponds with general patients’ satisfaction with service providers in the hospital settings (Li, Comulada, Wu, Ding, & Zhu,