PNUR1128 Week 2 — the practical points, start to finish (2026)

What this episode covers

A practical run through the PNUR1128 Week 2 assessment, in the order you'd actually meet it on the floor: your own body first, then the bed and the room, then the self-care skills, then the assessments. Every topic from the week's package is in here. The numbers are exact, and each section ends the way the episode does — a question, then the answer a beat later.

The eight topics

Body mechanics and alignment — ergonomics, the safe-handling assessment, correct alignment standing, walking, lying and sitting.
Bed making — the two infection rules, occupied and unoccupied beds, open and closed beds.
ADLs and IADLs — the difference, who needs help, and the interventions that aren't tasks.
Hygiene — care times, complete vs. partial bath, mouth care precautions, foot care in diabetes and peripheral vascular disease.
Toileting — the six pieces of equipment, catheter care, perineal care, routine precautions.
Elimination — normal stool and urine, the symptom vocabulary, the four types of incontinence.
Skin assessment — skin integrity and turgor, normal findings, capillary refill.
The Braden Scale — six subscales, the at-risk cut-off, and the interventions that follow.

The numbers to have cold

What	Value
Braden score meaning at risk	Under 18
Repositioning in bed	Every 2 to 4 hours
Capillary refill, healthy	Under 3 seconds
First urge to void	250 to 300 mL
Strong urge to void	About 500 mL
Fluid intake per day	1500 to 2000 mL
Fibre per day	20 to 30 g
Frequency (symptom)	More than 8 times in 24 hours
Oliguria	Around 400 mL in a day
Voiding interval teaching	Every 3 to 4 hours

The Braden subscales, in order: sensory perception, moisture, activity, mobility, nutrition, shear and friction.

The six pieces of toileting equipment: urinal, bedpan (regular and fracture), commode, ostomy, incontinent brief, catheter (indwelling and intermittent).

Terms, in the words the slides use

Skin integrity — the skin is intact and acting as a barrier. Skin turgor — its elasticity, and your hydration clue.

Urgency — a sudden compelling need. Dysuria — pain or burning on voiding. Frequency — more than eight times in 24 hours. Hesitancy — a delay before starting. Polyuria — more urine than before over 24 hours. Oliguria — around 400 mL in a day. Nocturia — waking at night to void. Dribbling — leaking despite trying to control it. Hematuria — visible blood.

Urge incontinence — overactive bladder. Stress — weakened pelvic floor. Overflow — prostate or diabetes. Mixed — a combination.

Open bed — top covers folded back so the patient can get in. Closed bed — covers drawn to the head and tucked under the pillows, made for a new admission.

The three things that get missed

No foot soaks for a patient with diabetes or peripheral vascular disease. If they can't feel the water, they can't feel a burn.
Never shake linen, and never put soiled linen on the floor or against your uniform.
Assess before you move anyone. The first answer to "how do I move this patient" is a safe-handling assessment, not a technique.

Sources behind this episode

PNUR1128 Week 2 assessment package — Body Mechanics and Alignment, Bed Making, ADLs, Hygiene, Toileting, Elimination, Integumentary (course slides and activity sheets)
Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk (Braden & Bergstrom, 1988)
Astle et al. (2024), Clinical Nursing Skills
Jarvis et al. (2024), Physical Examination and Health Assessment