Mental health nursing is a unique field, under constant scrutiny, perhaps because of the misunderstanding of its science or the misconception about the community it serves. This scrutiny has provided mental health nursing with the opportunity to examine its practice of restraint use and through its history constantly improve its practices. Ethics in nursing is a constantly studied area. The American Nurses Association code of ethics requires that the nurse provide care that is respectful of the dignity and individuality of each patient. Underlining this concept are the nursing ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, and nonmaleficence (Taxis, 2002, p.158).
One nursing-sensitive indicator is the development of pressure ulcers. Nursing-sensitive indicators represent nursing’s contribution to patient care. The primary nurse caring for Mr. J did not appear to have a great understanding of this nursing-sensitive indicator as demonstrated by the patient laying in restraints for extended periods of time without justification as to why. Patients at an increased risk of pressure ulcers either from age, mobility and/or nutritional status should have measures in place for monitoring and preventing breakdown. When the CNA ambulated the patient to the bathroom the family noticed a reddened area to the patients back and due to the lack of education of the CNA, this was not taken seriously.
The problem was beyond doubt mentioned and was an appropriate researchable problem. The problem had implication for nursing and for the healthcare profession and capability to improve nursing practice and education. Nurses have a professional duty to respect patient’s dignity. “It is essential therefore that nurses understand the meaning of dignity and how the nurses can protect patient’s dignity, especially in the acute hospital settings.” (Baillie, 2008). Purpose and Research
Compassion fatigue was a term first applied in 1992; it is described as a syndrome that occurs in nurses when caring for a patient facing life-altering or life-threatening changes resulting from an illness. Compassion fatigue is prevalent among nurses today, due to increasing patient loads, as a result of nurse shortages and hospital cut backs. Compassion fatigue in nursing should not be ignored. There are classic warning signs that someone might be experiencing compassion fatigue. Recognizing the signs of compassion fatigue and following the necessary steps to prevent and treat it can provide one with the tools needed to make their nursing career rewarding.
However, it's not always true that another nurse is doing the right thing. Situations arise that can lead a nurse to make mistakes and set a poor example. Advocacy 2. Advocacy ranges from activities on behalf of patients, such as hand washing and proper identification before treatments, to arguing that an early discharge will harm her patient's recovery. If a nurse observes a practice or procedure she believes to be wrong, advocating for her patient demands she speak out even if that practice was carried out by her superior.
Therefore, they are at a bigger risk for “poor health outcomes” (Taylor, 2009). I will discuss how nursing theories can be applied in the vulnerable populations of the chronically ill and uninsured. I will also discuss the inclusion related to these same two groups of people. Inclusion Rationale Nurses wear many hats. We are a healer, leader, and teacher, but most of all we are the patient’s advocate.
Thus, there is a need for teaching healthcare professionals in the areas of spoken and non-verbal interaction, on active listening and the efficient use of these interaction abilities with due attention to the environment in which the interaction is developing. The operating room medical staff has to be taught core concepts to effectively manage psychologically traumatic situations. Any negative healthcare event in a surgery can lead healthcare professionals to serious legal repercussions and affect their professional future. Hence, it is absolutely important to teach operating room healthcare professionals to stand up to doctors on all the vital aspects concerning patient safety. “Studies have shown that ineffective team communication causes frequent medical errors in the operating room” (American Society of Registered Nurses, 2007).
Definations and correlation between asumptions and relationships are evolved from the nursing models to provide a systematic approach in the delivery of patient care via describing, explaning, predicting and prescribing (Mckeena, 1997). The primary role of nurses when they are committed to a patient is accountability, integrity; colloboration and advancement in the profession (Daniels, 2004).Hence nursing theories are important basis especially for the novice nurse who has little or no clinical engagement. These nurses may attribute harm or risk to patients who are dependant on them for care. These theories act as guideliness for nurses from blunders when an organisation engages a formal model to practice. Thereby patients’ lives are guarded from stake of harm.
Compassion Fatigue and its Affect on Nursing Kelly Kramer Drexel On-Line Compassion Fatigue and its Affects on Nursing Compassion fatigue is a rising issue for nurses working in all specialties of nursing, mainly in critical care. In this paper I will be discussing compassion fatigue, it’s symptoms, how it affects the nursing profession and individual nurses, as well as the hospitals and what untreated compassion fatigue can mean for the future of nursing. Compassion fatigue, also referred to as secondary traumatic stress syndrome, has been defined by Charles Figley as the “natural consequent behaviors and emotions resulting from knowing about a traumatizing event experienced by a significant other – the stress resulting from helping, or wanting to help, a traumatized or suffering person”(Figley, 1995, p. 7). Although compassion fatigue has been studied more in the past 20 years in regards to nursing, there have not been many tools developed to measure the presence of it. There is a general consensus among all the articles that I read regarding the need for more studies, tools to assess and programs at hospitals for nurses.
Early efforts to study client outcomes began from quality improvement studies with nurses’ participation in the development of interdisciplinary care plans such as critical pathways and care maps that are still in use. Evidence-based practice (EBP) is using the best available evidence on hand to guide clinical decision making in order for nurses to provide the most current and best available care for their patients (Chitty & Black, 2010). EBP is a combination of knowledge to the research process, theory, clinical decision making and findings. The use of EBP requires that one must be aware of research that supports detailed and specific