Lesson-1-Intro-to-Biochem.pdf

BIOCHEMISTRY MC 2 BIOCHEMISTRY INTRODUCTION MC 2: Lesson 1  DEFINITION Biochemistry, also called as biological chemistry or physiological chemistry is the study of chemical processes in the living organisms. It can also be defined as the study of the chemical and molec...

BIOCHEMISTRY MC 2 BIOCHEMISTRY INTRODUCTION MC 2: Lesson 1  DEFINITION Biochemistry, also called as biological chemistry or physiological chemistry is the study of chemical processes in the living organisms. It can also be defined as the study of the chemical and molecular bases of life.  Biochemistry teaches how the biological molecules like carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, nucleic acids give rise to different chemical processes in the living cell which in turn gives rise to the complexity of life. It was first proposed by a German scientist, Carl Neuberg, in 1903.  SIGNIFICANCE IN NURSING As the definition says that biochemistry is the study of chemical processes in the living cell. It is very essential that a nurse being a medical professional, study and understand biochemistry in order to care for their patients. SIGNIFICANCE IN NURSING cont... For example, a patient was admitted to the hospital and during the stay in the hospital she suddenly comes up with certain symptoms like confusion, dizziness, shaky feeling, pounding heart, racing pulse,sweating, trembling and weakness. SIGNIFICANCE IN NURSING cont… The medical history shows that she has diabetes mellitus and was taking insulin. A nurse will be able to understand immediately that the cause of his symptoms were due to hypoglycemia and she will understand the changes that can occur in the body and will be able to give the timely treatment. SIGNIFICANCE IN NURSING cont.. Hypoglycemia is a serious condition in a day to day life. And if not taken cared of, this may lead to life threatening complications affecting the cardiac and central nervous system. There is also a chance that the patient may go into seizure and coma. SIGNIFICANCE IN NURSING cont… So, a thorough understanding of the biochemical processes taking place in the body will help the nurse to have a patient- centred approach in the treatment. Generally, knowing the normal processes that occur within the body will helps us to identify the alterations that can occur during disease conditions so that an effective medical treatment can be facilitated.  Specifically, study of biochemistry is significantly important for nurses because it facilitates the nurses in: 1. Understanding the mechanisms of diseases. 2. Monitoring and managing medications. 3. Nutritional assessment and management. 4. In Laboratory interpretations. 5. In the Diagnosis and management of metabolic disorders. 6. Understanding the effects of diseases. Biochemistry teaches about homeostasis and electrolyte balance and a nurse should understand the importance of it in the body. A l l the organs and tissues in the body function to maintain this homeostasis. Certain disease conditions may create an imbalance of one or more electrolytes which is a serious condition. B iochemistry teaches about the normal and abnormal metabolite levels and this knowledge helps the nurse to take special care of the patient by maintaining the fluid and electrolytes.  Homeostasis: –The ability or tendency of a living organism, cell, or group to keep the conditions inside it the same despite any changes in the conditions around it, or this state of internal balance.  The various biochemical tests like blood sugar test, kidney function test, liver function test, lipid profile, will help the nurse to diagnose diseases and the test results will help in assessing the needs of the patient to provide an effective care. Every drug has a biochemical action and this knowledge will help in selecting the appropriate doses and the duration of treatment a patient requires. Nutritional biochemistry teaches the relation between health, diet and disease. It focuses on how each nutrient functions metabolically and biochemically. Using biochemical tools, nutritional deficiency diseases can be diagnosed. In a nutshell… Biochemistry is important in nursing because it gives knowledge about normal chemical process within the living cells and any change in it helps in the diagnosis of disease, thereby helping the nurse to provide an effective care to the patient.