8 Best Examples of How Chemistry is Used in Nursing
Written By:
Darby Faubion
Darby Faubion RN, BSN, MBA
Darby Faubion is a nurse and allied health instructor with over 20 years of clinical experience. Darby lives in Louisiana and loves exploring the state’s rich culture and history. Darby has a passion for caring for veterans and a special interest in those affected by post-traumatic stress disorder. In her quest to make a difference for veterans, she founded a non-profit called “Operation Battle Buddy.” Read Full Bio »» RN, BSN, MBA
When I was a child, I had a friend who had a love for everything chemistry. We all used to joke with him and say he was going to be a "mad scientist." He had a chemistry set and always had a story of some weird or unusual thing he discovered. I did not share his interest and certainly never imagined there would be a day when I would need to understand chemistry and educate others about its impact.
Once I decided that nursing was the career I wanted to pursue, I realized I would have to study chemistry, whether I wanted to or not. As a nurse, I now know that chemicals in our bodies determine the state of our health. Therefore, understanding chemistry has become essential to everything I do.
If you are a nurse or considering becoming a nurse, you may wonder if it is really important to know about chemistry. You could wonder, why and how is chemistry used in nursing? Chemistry is important in nursing, and there are several ways it is used to promote good patient outcomes. Where you work, and the patient population you serve may determine how in-depth your knowledge of chemistry must be. In this article, I will share the 8 best examples of how chemistry is used in nursing to try and help you understand its importance.
How is Chemistry Used in Nursing?
(The following are the 8 best examples of how chemistry is used in nursing.)
EXAMPLE #1: Using Chemistry to Prevent the Spread of Infection
As a nurse and healthcare educator, I cannot stress enough how crucial the role of
preventing the spread of infections and disease is for each of us. It is so important that most nursing programs teach infection control at some point in the first nursing semester.
There are several ways chemistry is used in nursing to help prevent the spread of infection. For example, we use chemicals to disinfect surfaces, equipment, and wounds. Chemical agents, such as disinfectants, wound care solutions, and antiseptics, are used to stop or inhibit the growth of disease-causing microorganisms. One of the simplest yet most important measures of preventing the spread of infection is hand hygiene. Whether you use soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, chemical interactions are responsible for the removal of pathogens on your hands.
EXAMPLE #2: Administering Pharmacologic Interventions
Chemistry is used in nursing to create and implement pharmacologic interventions. Nurses must verify the chemical compatibility of drugs to determine the risks of patients experiencing adverse reactions if they are prescribed more than one drug. Your knowledge of chemistry will help you assess potential drug-on-drug interactions. Chemistry is also used when considering how to administer a drug. For example, whether a drug is lipid-soluble or water-soluble will help you determine the proper route of administration for better absorption.
EXAMPLE #3: Caring for Patients with Diabetes
Another important way that chemistry is used in nursing is when we provide care to diabetic patients. As a nurse, understanding chemistry helps you to monitor a patient's blood glucose level to determine if their condition is well-managed and educate patients to help prevent diabetic complications that could result from acid-base, metabolic, or electrolyte imbalances.
As both a nurse and a Type II Diabetic, I have learned to appreciate the role chemistry plays in managing diabetes. For example, eating a healthy diet can help improve my body's insulin sensitivity and promote a stable metabolism, which helps to regulate my blood glucose levels.
EXAMPLE #4: Monitoring and Educating Maternity Patients
Chemistry is used in the nursing care of maternal patients in several ways. For instance, maternity nurses educate patients about hormonal changes during pregnancy. By educating patients about changes in estrogen, progesterone, and human chorionic gonadotropin, we can help them learn to manage pregnancy-related symptoms. We also educate patients about how nutrients like folic acid impact fetal development and help prevent birth defects.
Oxytocin is a hormone that stimulates uterine contractions, which helps with childbirth and triggers the release of breast milk. It is important for nurses to understand what normal and abnormal oxytocin levels could mean to patients and be alert for any signs or symptoms of distress, such as slowed or stopped labor progression.
EXAMPLE #5: Monitor Pediatric Growth and Development
One important way nurses and healthcare providers can identify, monitor, and treat pediatric health problems is to assess chemical levels within the blood. Children whose thyroid, pituitary, or adrenal glands or pancreas are affected could experience delayed or early onset of puberty, growth hormone disorders, diabetes, or Turner Syndrome.
When I first began working in pediatrics, the Director of Pediatrics, Dr. Patel, told me that the nurse is often one of the first people on the healthcare team to recognize changes in patients related to chemistry. He took the time to teach me about important signs and symptoms that could indicate pediatric health problems. For example, I learned to observe patients for physical symptoms, such as weakness or fatigue, mood swings, behavioral changes, and developmental delays. We can review laboratory test results to determine hormone, glucose, and electrolyte levels and acid-base balance.
EXAMPLE #6: Assessing Kidney Function in Renal Patients
One example of how chemistry is used in nursing is when providing care to patients with diagnosed or suspected renal disease. Nurses use chemistry to monitor kidney function by assessing urine and blood markers to determine abnormalities or elevations in specific levels. For instance, creatinine is a waste product that results from muscle metabolism. When patients have elevated creatinine levels, this is an indication of decreased glomerular filtration rates. If electrolytes, such as potassium, calcium, phosphorus, or sodium, are at abnormal levels, this can indicate kidney dysfunction.
EXAMPLE #7: Providing Safe, Effective Wound Care
Another important way chemistry is used in nursing is by applying chemistry principles to promote wound healing. As a wound care nurse, I learned the importance of choosing appropriate antiseptics to cleanse wounds and help prevent bacterial growth. At times, it was necessary to use enzymes to debride wounds and promote the regeneration of healthy tissue. Understanding chemistry was essential for me as a wound care nurse, as I had to know which solutions helped maintain the appropriate pH in wound dressings, how to regulate fluid balance in wounds, and what type of dressing worked best for the type of wound the patient was experiencing.
EXAMPLE #8: Observing and Monitoring Signs and Symptoms of Aging
As we age, our bodies go through a series of changes. In fact, every organ and body system is affected by chemical changes as we grow older. Slow chemical responses in the brain can lead to decreased reaction time and decreased memory. With age, hormone levels change, which leads to changes in the ovaries, testes, kidneys, and liver.
Many changes are reflected in laboratory tests, and nurses use those results to create and implement appropriate nursing care plans and interventions.
Aging is a natural process that involves some inevitable changes. One of the things I like to encourage students and staff working with older adults to do is provide education to both patients and caregivers about how chemical changes could occur in the body and what the effects of those changes may bring to their overall health. Encourage your patients to maintain a healthy lifestyle which can help mitigate the impact of these changes.
My Final Thoughts
Whether chemistry is your favorite subject or not, I believe it is vital for all nurses to have an understanding of chemical processes in the body. Asking, “How is chemistry used in nursing?” is important because our role is to not only monitor patients for changes, but to educate and empower them, as well.
In this article, I shared 8 best examples of how chemistry is used in nursing to give you some insight into its importance. By learning as much as possible about chemical processes, the role of various chemicals within the body, and how exposure to different chemicals can impact one’s health, we become better educators and advocates for our patients.
List Of Sources Used For This Article
1.
“7 Reasons Why Chemistry is Important in Nursing” (
nursingprocess.org)
2.
“Infection Prevention and Control” (
American Nurses Association)
3.
“Aging Effect on Laboratory Values” (
clinlabnavigator.com)
Darby Faubion, RN, BSN, MBA
Darby Faubion is a nurse and allied health instructor with over 20 years of clinical experience. Her work history includes clinical experience in pediatrics, mental health, addiction and behavioral disorders, geriatrics, wound management, and communicable disease. Darby has worked in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and home health and hospice agencies. Darby also has experience as a nursing and allied health educator at both community college and university levels. Her love for nursing and nursing education led to her becoming a test-taking strategist and NCLEX prep coach.