Review the following case study and complete the questions that follow. Submit your completed document to Blackboard using the assignment link.
As a nurse practicing within a family practice, you are interviewing a 55-year-old woman who is an executive assistant at a local law firm, where she has worked for 9 years. She has a 7-year history of respiratory illness, which occurs several times throughout the year, not seemingly connected to the changes in season. She does not use tobacco products in any form. During your questions regarding her home and work environments, she reports that she enjoys working adjacent to the courthouse in a building over 100 years old because it is such a contrast to her brand-new home on a local golf course. When describing the health of her coworkers, she indicates, 'We all share illnesses, which seem to affect everyone else during the year; we just seem to be sicker more often!'

• What information is pertinent to your client's case?
• How would you assess your client's risk?
• What would be an exposure pathway for your client?

Information Pertinent to the Client's Case

The 55-year-old female patient affected with respiratory manifestations since the past several years under the influence of her work environment. The patient does not exhibit the history of tobacco abuse and not allergic to any seasonal variation. Her daily working inside the 100 years old building apparently influences her respiratory functionality across the community environment. The patient affected with asbestos exposure in the context of the fact that the older buildings utilized asbestos insulation across their walls and ceiling joints, and the gradual deterioration of this insulation resulted in the release of asbestos fibres in the immediate environment leading the respiratory dysfunction of the exposed individuals (CPSC, 2016). The evidence-based research literature reveals the elevated risk of the individuals exposed to asbestos in terms of developing serious respiratory conditions attributing to malignant pleural mesothelioma and scarring of lungs (i.e. asbestosis) (Scherpereel, 2016).  The clinical findings reveal the long-term retention of asbestos fibres across the pulmonary surface of the affected individuals, thereby leading to the development of pulmonary conditions like pleural effusions, plaques and asbestosis (WebMD, 2016). The patient's respiratory illness in the present clinical scenario relates to the episode of asbestos poisoning affecting herself and her colleagues throughout the year, as they remain associated with the older building while rendering legal services for the local law firm.    

Assessment of Client's Risk

The elderly patient in the present clinical scenario experiences the risk of developing laryngeal and lung cancers in relation to her occupational exposure to the asbestos fibres (Offermans, et al., 2014). The evidence-based research literature reveals the elevated risk of individuals experiencing the past medical history of asbestos exposure in terms of developing lung cancer across the community environment (Järvholm & Astrom, 2014). This rationally indicates that consistent exposure to asbestos leads to the accumulation of asbestos fibres in human lungs and these fibres remain inside the lungs for an extended period while facilitating signalling pathways, thereby increasing the risk of pulmonary cancer even after the termination of asbestos exposure (Heintz, Janssen-Heininger, & Mossman, 2010). Although, the patient does not exhibit the history of smoking; however, the pattern of slow and gradual asbestos poisoning resulted in the respiratory complications that predispose her towards the development of metastatic pulmonary conditions. The client also experiences the risk of developing the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and benign pulmonary conditions in relation to her consistent pattern of asbestos exposure across the occupational environment  (Wilken, Garrido, Manuwald, & Baur, 2011). The evidence-based research literature reveals the development of patterns of emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis among patients affected by the episodes of asbestosis following asbestos exposure (Jankowich & Rounds, 2012). Therefore, the patient in the present clinical scenario experiences the risk of developing these chronic conditions in relation to occupational asbestos exposure. The client further subjected to the development of pulmonary talcosis, granuloma and combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) syndrome across the community environment.

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