What is pca in medical terms

One of those acronyms, PCA, can truly help you and your family member stay in their own home! PCA stands for personal care assistant. A PCA is someone who helps people with day-to-day activities in their home and around their community. It can range from helping with personal care, or with homemaking and errand type activities. The people a personal care assistant helps can range from people living with physical or mental disabilities or simply those who are elderly and unable to do certain tasks by themselves anymore.

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Between doses of pain medicine, IV fluid may flow into your vein to keep it open and keep you well hydrated. Frequent monitoring by your nurse is needed while you are using the PCA pump.

The nurse may need to wake you up in order to check for breathing problems and other side effects. Family and friends staying with you during recovery should report any concerns of breathing problems or other side effects to the nurse right away. PCA is safe and effective. The main risk is having a reaction to the opioid medicine. Side effects from opioids include:. If used properly, PCA may actually reduce the risks linked to opioids because you are less likely to be overtreated or undertreated.

Make sure that you are the only person who pushes the button for pain relief.