Consequences of a lightning strike. Case report with suggested nursing interventions

Abstract Aim. This article is an attempt to describe the case and nursing problems of a sixteen-year-old female patient of Tytus Chałubiński Hospital in Zakopane who was admitted to the paediatric ward on 22nd of August 2019 after being struck by lightning during a hike to Giewont. Material and methods. The author has also made an attempt to determine problems during the patient’s hospitalization after the accident on the basis of Evidence Base Nursing – a nursing practice based on scientific research. Results. The phenomenon of a lightning strike leads to numerous negative health effects in the victim. These include direct consequences, such as vital functions abnormalities, injuries to multiple organs, burns, and late complications, such as persistent neurological disorders, consequences of injuries to multiple organs and mental and emotional disorders resulting from direct threat to one’s life and participation in a traumatic event. This paper attempts to describe an event of a teenager being struck by lightning and its medical consequences. Conclusions. 1. It seems expedient to develop and make available, e.g. in the form of computer programmes, standards for nursing patients after lightning strikes, which would take into account mass accidents. 2. It is necessary to develop and promote a model for hospital organisation of psychological assistance to patients (including adolescents) involved in a mass accident. It should also take into consideration later consequences of traumatic events.