General nursing

A sick person needs to have confidence in his attendants who should understand his requirements. A nurse should be selected with care and the master or a senior officer should check on the performance of the person chosen.
 
Sick quarters
 
Wherever possible a patient sufficiently ill to require nursing should be in the ship’s hospital or in a cabin away from others. In this way the patient will benefit from quietness and the risk of spreading any unknown infection will be minimised. The sick quarters should be comfortable and easily cleaned. The room fittings and floors should be cleaned daily. Adequate ventilation of the sick quarters is of great importance and it is equally important that changes of temperature should be avoided. The ideal temperature for the sick room is between 15.5ºC and 18.5ºC. If possible, direct sunlight should be admitted to the cabin. If the weather is warm and the portholes will open they should be left open.
 
Arrival of the patient
 
It may be necessary to assist the patient to undress and get into bed. A patient with a reduced level of consciousness will have to be undressed. Take off boots or shoes first, then socks, trousers, jacket and shirt in that order. In the case of severe leg injuries, you may have to remove the trousers by cutting down the seams. In the case of arm injuries, remove the arm from the shirt sleeve on the sound side first, then slip the shirt over the head and lastly withdraw the arm carefully from the sleeve on the injured side. In cold climates the patient should always wear suitable night wear. In the tropics cotton nightwear is preferable. Blankets are unnecessary in the tropics but the patient should have some covering, a sheet spread over him. If your patient has a chest condition accompanied by cough and spitting he should be provided with a receptacle, either a sputum pot or an improvised jar or tin. The receptacle provided should be fitted with a cover. If the sputum pot is not of the disposable variety add a little disinfectant. It should be thoroughly cleaned out twice daily with boiling water and a disinfectant.