Principles and Techniques of Patient Care

Updated and expanded, the 2nd edition of this text presents clear-cut, "how-to" instructions on properly evaluating vital signs, treating patients who require special equipment or care, and much more. Well-illustrated techniques and procedures demonstrate positioning and draping the patient, patient transfer, and ambulation activities, with rationales and physiologic principles that explain why techniques are used. It emphasizes a basic approach and straightforward clinical applications related to patient care.

• APTA's Guide to Physical Therapist Practice and a Normative Model of Physical Therapist Education, defines the terms "assessment" and "evaluation" to clarify how the terms are used throughout the book.
• An overview of the impairment/disability model found in the APTA's Guide to Physical Therapist Practice is included.
• The discussion of inter-professional collaboration has been expanded to include the roles of the PT and PTA in the health care team.
• Suggestions are incorporated for an evaluation of the home and workplace of a person with a disability.
• Problem-solving strategies help the reader address real-world situations.
• Assessment of pain as a component of vital sign patterns is now included in the chapter on vital sign assessment (Chapter 3).
• Basic concepts related to cultural diversity and assessment of the environment for a person with a disability help readers develop a sense of cultural sensitivity and awareness in caring for patients with disabilities.
• A self-study/discussion section at the end of each chapter encourages readers to think about how they would handle real-life situations.

• New photographs have been added related to wheelchair, lifting, bed mobility, lymphedema, and functional activities.
• Content has been reorganized to follow the logical sequence of patient care in a clinical environment.
• New boxes, tables, and procedures in several chapters reinforce key information.
• A new chapter on infection control (Chapter 2) shows how diseases can be controlled by hand washing techniques, isolation precautions, and application and removal of protective garments.
• A new chapter on basic wound care and specialized interventions (Chapter 11) includes principles and techniques related to lymphedema management and cardiopulmonary physical therapy.