Are you applying to a nursing school or preparing for your nursing licensure exam? In both cases, you should know about the cirrhosis HESI case study.
The World Health Organization estimates there are about 20.7 million (2018) registered nurses (RN) throughout the world. Health Education Systems Incorporated (HESI) was founded to help people applying to nurse schools or preparing for their licensure exams.
These are both essential steps to launch a career in the nursing profession. This demand has been sky-rocketing in recent years in regions like North America, Europe, and Australia due to the mass retirement of “baby boomers.” It has resulted in a greater demand for doctors, nurses, and medical technicians.
Liver cirrhosis is one of the serious diseases that nurses should be aware of. Studies show that up to nearly 10% of the world’s population has late-stage liver disease. It involves major scarring of the vital organ. This differs from the early stages of liver disease that might include mild scarring or no symptoms. While cirrhosis of the liver is often linked to heavy alcohol drinking it can also be caused by other factors including an unhealthy diet, sitting all day, and lack of exercise. Medical professionals need know-how about the symptoms, causes, and treatments for liver cirrhosis.
What Exactly Is HESI?
This acronym stands for Health Education Systems Incorporated (HESI). The US Company offers study materials like exams so student nurses can prepare for their licensure exam. This is an important service since it can help nurses pass their exams so they can become practicing nurses.
The world has over 20.7 million (2018) registered nurses. The demand has been spiking in recent decades as the “baby boomers” have triggered an aging population. Meanwhile, countries like Japan, Switzerland, and Italy have 83+ year average life expectancies, which also increases the need for more RNs.
HESI exam scores are used to determine the chance of students passing RN exams. It is vital to help determine how students should tweak their preparation for such tests. It can help them to improve their preparation.
Some nursing schools also require HESI tests as part of their entrance requirement. So if you’re preparing to apply to nursing schools, it’s critical to know about HESI case study cirrhosis and other tests so you’ll know how to plan for the exam.
This particular exam is known as the AAE exam. It’s an online/computerized test that takes four hours to complete. The online feature makes it more convenient since people can take the test from home instead of going to a brick & mortar testing center. That can be a hassle for some nursing school applicants due to their location.
Several nursing exams also give the Exit Exam (E2) to graduating students. It helps to determine how prepared they are for their nursing license exams. It is a critical test to check the effectiveness of the school, faculty, and curriculum. These are all critical issues to make sure the school is meeting industry standards and effectively preparing future nurses.
HESI Case Study Cirrhosis
You must know the key details about liver cirrhosis when you’re preparing to take a HESI exam. That includes case studies about the serious late-stage liver disease.
Cirrhosis of the liver is a long-term disease that involves major scarring of liver tissue. It prevents the liver from functioning properly and can result in liver failure over time. The key is slow/stop live damage to prevent the disease from advancing to the next stage of liver cirrhosis.
The early stages of cirrhosis don’t involve complications. However, they can later result and cause issues related to the body and brain. It might also result in liver failure or end-stage liver disease.
The liver is the human body’s largest solid organ and is located near the rib cage. The liver’s main functions include:
- Clot blood
- Fight infections
- Store energy
- Help digest nutrients
- Filter toxins/infections
These key functions help to explain why liver disease and cirrhosis, in particular, can cause several issues in terms of normal body function.
There are various causes of liver disease. In some cases, it happens due to a single cause or event like an injury. However, in other situations, it can result over years/decades due to factors like:
- Unhealthy diet
- Environmental factors
- Cigarette/E-cigarette/Cigar smoking
- Prescription Medications
- Lack of Exercise
This highlights the need to get tested periodically to determine whether or not you have cirrhosis symptoms. Keep in mind the early stages of liver disease often don’t cause any symptoms. So it’s better to be on the safe side and start getting liver function tests around your mid-30s. This can help to detect any issues that might be signs of liver disease.
Some of the possible symptoms of liver cirrhosis include:
- Fluid retention
- Spider web blood vessels
- Confusion/Lack of focus
- Tiredness/Fatigue
- Swelling of ankles/legs
- Low sex drive
- Loss of appetite
- Infection (i.e. hepatitis)
