Capella FPX 4015 Assessment 2

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Capella University

NURS-FPX4015 Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, and Physical Assessment: A Holistic Approach to Patient-Centered Care

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Enhancing Holistic Nursing Care With the 3Ps

Nursing practice integrates key scientific disciplines that support sound clinical judgment, informed decision-making, and compassionate, patient-focused care. Core areas such as holistic care, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and physical (3Ps) assessment are essential in promoting high healthcare quality and safety (Keefer et al., 2022). This discussion examines the importance of each domain separately, demonstrates how they are interrelated, and explains how their combined application can enhance clinical practice and lead to better patient outcomes.

Holistic Nursing Care: Definition and Usefulness for Patients and Nurses

Holistic nursing emphasizes the importance of treating the whole person by considering the continuous relationship between physical health, emotional stability, mental clarity, spiritual fulfillment, and environmental influences during recovery. The American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) highlights that all nursing care is deeply rooted in supporting both physical and spiritual healing (AHNA, 2025). This model of care emphasizes patient-centeredness by blending clinical expertise with empathy rather than solely relying on therapeutic communication or varied interventions to achieve health-related goals.

While symptom management remains a component of holistic nursing, the primary focus lies in enhancing individuals’ overall health and quality of life. Numerous studies highlight the positive impact of holistic care on patient outcomes. Research shows that patients receiving holistic interventions report greater satisfaction, improved emotional resilience, more effective symptom management, and quicker recovery times (Keefer et al., 2022). Incorporating mindfulness, therapeutic touch, and complementary therapies has been shown to improve physical and mental health by alleviating stress, reducing discomfort, and easing anxiety. For nurses, this approach improves patient care and contributes to professional well-being.

Nurses practicing holistically often experience greater job fulfillment and are less prone to burnout. They develop stronger therapeutic relationships and find deeper meaning in patient interactions, which fosters a sense of professional purpose (Hlubocky et al., 2021). Holistic nursing promotes self-care strategies that help nurses build resilience and sustain long-term professional engagement.

Pathophysiology in Nursing Practice

Pathophysiology describes how disease alters the body’s normal functional and structural characteristics. A scientific understanding of disease processes is a deep appreciation of how states of health develop and manifest in the various systems of the body. Nurses with an appreciation of disease processes can easily note patient states under normal care and identify early signs of disease. The capacity to anticipate disease progression enables them to offer high-quality, patient-tailored treatments that improve patient outcomes (Day & Hagler, 2024).

Understanding the etiology and the pathophysiological processes underlying disease provides a nurse with more authority to offer holistic, patient-tailored care. For example, an appreciation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) pathophysiology allows nurses to anticipate respiratory distress because they understand how airway inflammation and excess mucus production cause airflow limitation and compromised gas exchange. Likewise, appreciation of the pathophysiological underpinnings of liver cirrhosis allows nurses to anticipate complications such as ascites or hepatic encephalopathy because they value the impact of impaired liver function on fluid balance and the accumulation of toxins (Petrò et al., 2022).

Pathophysiology allows nurses to think beyond the limits of individual body systems because it illustrates how disease affects the overall health of the body. For example, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a disease of autoimmune origin, can cause damage to multiple body parts such as the kidneys, skin, joints, and brain. It can cause widespread inflammation, tiredness, and susceptibility to infection. Appreciation of these widespread, multi-organ effects allows nurses to offer holistic care that addresses multiple interconnected features of the patient’s health (Ota et al., 2022). With pathophysiological knowledge, nurses can make informed, evidence-based clinical decisions, function as effective patient advocates, and offer useful expertise to interprofessional health teams.

Pharmacology in Nursing Practice

Pharmacology is vital in nursing as it focuses on how medications interact with the human body. A strong foundation in pharmacology equips nurses with the ability to select appropriate medications, administer them accurately, and systematically monitor their effects on patients. With this knowledge, nurses can anticipate potential side effects and identify drug interactions, allowing them to develop individualized medication plans tailored to each patient’s needs (Day & Hagler, 2024). In clinical settings, nursing care depends heavily on pharmacological expertise to choose the most suitable medications based on the patient’s health status and existing conditions. Reaching therapeutic drug levels requires nurses to understand correct dosages, delivery methods, and timing of administration.

For instance, administering anticoagulants like warfarin necessitates comprehension of dosage adjustments based on INR levels to prevent clot formation while avoiding excessive bleeding (Dager et al., 2023). Evaluating the effectiveness of medications involves more than just identifying immediate side effects. Nurses assess long-term therapeutic benefits and watch for delayed adverse reactions, ensuring a holistic view of how medications effect the patient’s overall well-being. For example, individuals on antipsychotic medications should be monitored for improvements in behavioral symptoms and metabolic changes, such as weight gain and blood sugar fluctuations (Lizcano et al., 2023). Pharmacology supports treating physical conditions, emotional well-being, and social factors influencing patient health.

Physical Assessment in Nursing Practice

. The systematic process nurses use to acquire comprehensive patient health information includes physiological, psychological, and functional abilities. The process incorporates the process of health history-taking and inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation to acquire vital information, which informs clinical practice. Physical assessment assists nurses in constructing a fundamental understanding of patient information to formulate certain care plans and assess plan effectiveness in the long term (Day & Hagler, 2024). Physical examination assists nurses in getting objective and subjective patient information, which indicates current medical conditions and assessing potential danger factors. For example, a nurse detects early signs of pressure injury in immobile patients through physical skin integrity examination.

A nurse auscultates breath sounds to detect abnormal lung sounds, indicating respiratory failure by detecting crackles or wheezing (Kahar, 2025). By acquiring data, nurses formulate appropriate nursing diagnoses, which inform the determination of major interventions based on patient needs and urgency. Medical staff who detect a trend of high blood pressure readings between successive tests can detect hypertension before it becomes advanced by ordering appropriate examinations and interventions. The information acquired through physical assessments directly informs nursing care planning processes (Kahar, 2025). Nurses can establish realistic goals, choose effective evidence-based interventions through assessment data, and predict what outcomes patients will receive.

Integration and Application of 3Ps

Effective evidence-based nursing practice integrates pathophysiology, pharmacology, and physical assessment knowledge. These core domains complement each other, enabling nurses to make health related decisions, deliver timely interventions, and provide holistic care tailored to patient needs. This interdisciplinary approach is vital across various clinical scenarios, as shown in the examples below:

Example 1: Managing Acute Asthma Attack in a Pediatric Unit

When caring for a child experiencing an acute asthma attack, nurses apply their understanding of pathophysiology to recognize airway constriction and inflammation as the primary causes of breathing difficulty. This knowledge prompts a focus on evaluating respiratory effort, observing accessory muscle use, and measuring oxygen saturation levels (Thompson et al., 2022). Pharmacological expertise is essential when administering fast-acting bronchodilators such as levalbuterol. Nurses must understand how these medications function to relax bronchial muscles and monitor for side effects like jitteriness or increased heart rate. Physical assessment allows for real-time evaluation of treatment response by checking breath sounds, tracking changes in respiratory rate, and reassessing oxygen levels. Combining these domains ensures that care is responsive, precise, and centered on improving the child’s respiratory function.

Example 2: Managing Hypertension in the Community Health Setting

Nurses usually encounter patients with chronic hypertension in a community clinic. Pathophysiological understanding allows nurses to comprehend how the long-standing high blood pressure may lead to cardiovascular harm, renal stress, and increased stroke risk. Such an understanding reinforces the importance of maintaining blood pressure at a target level. Pharmacological understanding forms the basis of drug management, e.g., ACE inhibitors or calcium channel blockers. Nurses should also know the mechanisms by which these medications act, proper dosing protocols, and side effects such as electrolyte imbalance or persistent cough (Baker et al., 2023). Physical examination is also important through regular blood pressure monitoring, peripheral edema monitoring, and monitoring of signs of medication effect or reaction. By synergizing these areas of expertise, nurses can alter care plans, facilitate lifestyle changes, and collaborate with the extended healthcare team to prevent complications and contribute to long-term patient health.

Conclusion

Integrating holistic care with 3Ps assessment forms the foundation of safe, evidence-based nursing practice. By recognizing the interdependence of these areas, nurses are better equipped to make thoughtful clinical choices, provide care tailored to individual needs, and support the best possible health results. Together, they enhance modern nursing care’s quality, efficiency, and compassion.

References

AHNA. (2025). Holistic nursing practice. Ahna.org. https://www.ahna.org/American-Holistic-Nurses-Association/Resources/Holistic-Nursing-Practice

Dager, W. E., Trujillo, T. C., & Gilbert, B. W. (2023). Approaches to precision‐based anticoagulation management in the critically Ill. Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy, 43(11), 1221–1236. https://doi.org/10.1002/phar.2868

Day, K., & Hagler, D. A. (2024). Integrating the 4Ps in masters-level nursing education. Journal of Professional Nursing, 53, 16–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2024.04.003

Hlubocky, F. J., Dokucu, M. E., & Back, A. L. (2021). The ethical implications of burnout: A moral imperative to prioritize physician well-being, resilience, and professional fulfillment. Springer EBooks, 87–111. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84785-2_7

Capella FPX 4015 Assessment 2

Kahar, L. A. (2025). Challenges in intensive care management of a patient with retropharyngeal abscess and mediastinal extension: A case report. Bioscientia Medicina Journal of Biomedicine and Translational Research, 9(4), 7177–7189. https://doi.org/10.37275/bsm.v9i4.1265

Keefer, L., Bedell, A., Norton, C., & Hart, A. L. (2022). How should pain, fatigue, and emotional wellness be incorporated into treatment goals for optimal management of inflammatory bowel disease? Gastroenterology, 162(5), 1439–1451. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2021.08.060

Lizcano, L., Villamizar, V. V., Duarte, E. B., Pacheco, H., Paredes, C. S., Bermúdez, V., & Porras, D. (2023). Metabolic adverse effects of psychotropic drug therapy: A systematic review. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 13(8), 1505–1520. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe13080110

Ota, Y., Srinivasan, A., Capizzano, A. A., Bapuraj, J. R., Kim, J., Kurokawa, R., Baba, A., & Moritani, T. (2022). Central nervous system systemic lupus erythematosus: Pathophysiologic, clinical, and imaging features. RadioGraphics, 42(1), 212–232. https://doi.org/10.1148/rg.210045

Capella FPX 4015 Assessment 2

Petrò, L., Colombo, S., Scaffidi, I., Molinari, P., Penzo, B., Cozzi, P., Guffanti, E., Cibelli, E., Guarnieri, M., Saglietti, F., & Gasperi, A. D. (2022). Acute liver failure: Definition, epidemiology and management – Update 2022. Springer EBooks, 19–47. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14612-1_2