I witnessed a situation at the hospital entailing poor communication between the nurses and the patient. The patient failed to understand the challenging situation that encompassed an obese individual’s surgical operation and carried on with the practice smoothly that later resulted in complications. This situation contributed to the patient’s ability to miss duty for eight weeks. An obesity patient who was a stammerer requested for an elective spleen removal. The hospital nurses’ surgical team carried out the process and required the patient to stay at the hospital for three days. At discharge, the patient experienced abdominal pains but could not effectively communicate due to stammering, and his non-verbal communication was poor. The same patient reported at the surgical office after two weeks and was struggling to express his feelings. I responded to the situation by providing a pen and a piece of paper for writing. The patient indicated that he experienced increased abdominal pain encompassing low-grade-fever. This situation called for x-ray performance on the patient. It also required proper documentation concerning the surgical procedure and medication (Resutra et al., 2020). The patient did not experience pain before the surgery, and the encompassing fever indicated some infection.
My response to the situation contributed to the patient’s safety through effective communication. The x-ray performance depicted a surgical sponge that called for a different nursing team to ensure surgery which indicated an abdominal infection. The infection is just one of the many complications that arise from surgical procedures (Resutra et al., 2020). The treatment required four days with the preceding three weeks of medication and rest from work. The situation assessment comprised of sponge count analysis regarding prior and after the surgical procedure. Documentation of the assessment findings allowed for the whole process evaluation to determine the situation’s causative factor. The entire process resulted in the patient’s physical structure contributing to the situation’s progress. This assessment implicates that with effective communication and understanding, the nurses could have worked on better measures of handling the situation.
My thoughts during the situation focused on assessing the patient’s condition and the surgical nurses’ actions. Surgical performance requires the nurses to be more careful to ensure successful procedures (Resutra et al., 2020). The problem analysis did not happen immediately after the crisis, and its delay resulted in the healthcare’s negative outcome. My feelings revolved around finding a solution to the patient’s communication ability. During the situation, I felt like the nurses could intervene based on the patient’s first complaint concerning abdominal pain. Maybe the case could not have amounted to an infection requiring another medication period with missing work. I empathized with the patient reflecting on the pain experiences and the health condition needed to miss work. This situation prompted my creative problem-solving involvement through critical thinking regarding the nurse practice and patient interaction.
If I were in the patient’s position, I would be in despair during the situation. The inability to communicate effectively and the increasing pain could contribute to distressing feelings. The case of missing duty for eight weeks with exclusive medication and hospitalization could attract financial issues and work delays with encompassing expenses. The underlying circumstances could prompt the call for justice intervention concerning the surgical nurses’ negligence during the operation performance. The surgical sponge jeopardizes an individual’s entailing several consequences such as abdominal pains and infection (Resutra et al., 2020). During the mild symptom presentation, lack of prompt healthcare attention as a result of difficulty in communication leads to severe problems like death.
The situation at the hospital relates to some ethical principles, including autonomy, beneficence, and non-maleficence. The autonomy principle involves the patient’s ability to choose the right medical service based on the healthcare practitioner’s advice (Varkey, 2021). The surgical nurses at the hospital could have engaged the patient in an advisory discussion through writing concerning the physical challenge that could jeopardize the performance and allow him to make a rational decision. Basing on the non-maleficence aspect that dictates no harming the patient, the surgical nurses were to ensure safety. The hospital’s progression of performing an x-ray and surgery to remove the sponge ensured its safety. Lastly, the beneficence principle depicts the nurses’ practice of providing the patient’s recovery plan through treatment and medication. The code ensures that nurses focus on practices benefiting the patients (Varkey, 2021). This situation depicts the obese patient achieving beneficial healthcare through a procedural process involving communication gaps.
While focusing on my future nursing career, there are essential aspects to gain from the situation. The first aspect is effective communication. Through effective communication, the nurses could interact with the patient and ensure the best surgical activity outcome. The case involves the before surgical process and the first instance of abdominal pain. Other aspect entails critical thinking and decision making. These aspects contribute to the nursing practice in solving challenging situations concerning patient care and safety. Also, the problem implies caring nature and patience while handling patients for positive outcomes. Other aspects include emotional stability, attention to detail, and interpersonal skills. The surgical operations call for attention to detail to ensure that the process augers well while ensuring emotional stability in some traumatic situations. Possessing interpersonal skills allows the nurses to interact with colleagues and patients positively and ensure healthcare service delivery.
References
Resutra, R., Gupta, R., & Gupta, M. (2020). Retrospective analysis of complications in 3600 patients of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. International Surgery Journal, 7(6), 1942-1950.
Varkey, B. (2021). Principles of clinical ethics and their application to practice. Medical Principles and Practice, 30(1), 17-28.