RN to BSN Student Creates Pamphlet on Atrial Fibrillation
RN to BSN student Sara Weaver has created a pamphlet on atrial fibrillation for cardiology patients. On Friday, Jan. 9, she gave a presentation about her research and shared copies of the publication. Weaver created the publication as part of her professional nursing role enhancement class.
An RN who works with cardiac patients regularly, Weaver focuses daily on patient advocacy and tries to keep the patient experience in mind at all times. There are several reasons she chose to focus on atrial fibrillation (afib) for her project. One, atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. Two, patients are not always compliant with a doctor’s instructions. During her presentation, Weaver told the story of Mrs. P., a patient who was on the drug Coumadin because of afib. Mrs. P. didn’t like Coumadin and the adverse side effects she experienced with it. She was not compliant with taking the drug as instructed, and she finally stopped taking it all together. According to Weaver, Mrs. P. had a stroke within 24 hours of stopping the drug and is now partially paralyzed. Weaver also chose to focus her project on atrial fibrillations because she wanted to create an educational tool to enhance a patient’s knowledge.
Weaver worked throughout the fall semester conducting research and interviewing doctors that she works with about the condition. Once she had the pamphlet put together, she had the doctors review it to make sure the information was correct. Since it was printed, the doctor’s office she works at has been distributing the publication to patients with new onset atrial fibrillation.