Reducing Medical Errors in Nursing Experience

Subject: Nursing
Pages: 2
Words: 594
Reading time:
3 min
Study level: College

Comprehensive Plan of Care Utilizing Maslow’s Hierarch of Needs

A comprehensive care plan should focus on the holistic wellness of a patient. Thus, when following Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, it needs to consider the client’s physiological needs, safety, love, accomplishment, and self-actualization, respectively (Weimann & Weimann, 2017). For instance, one patient with traumatic brain injury was admitted to the intensive care unit after being hit by a speeding vehicle. The first step in the hierarchy of needs is to provide pain relief to stop the swelling and perform the surgery to achieve restore his physical wellness.

Next, it is vital for the patient to feel at peace while at the hospital. Some safety features that people must consider in the hospital environment include infection control, hygiene, and being free from intruders (Weimann & Weimann, 2017). Thus, I ensured that the room where the patient was sleeping was clean, well ventilated, and comfortable. Moreover, the family was called in to enhance feelings of love.

Helping the patient gain high self-esteem is an essential step leading to self-actualization. The hospital has ample access to family meetings and therapy, which are integral for holistic recovery (Weimann & Weimann, 2017). Thus, the client became stable and was taken to the in-patient for continuous monitoring. The optimal patient experience is equitable to the final need of self-actualization evident in his favorable prognosis. The patient was giving back by encouraging other sick people.

Community Assessment for Culturally Competent Care

Assessing the community provides insight into the traditions, beliefs, norms, gender differences, and language of the residents of that area; to allow for culture sensitive treatment. For instance, one study used “talking cycles” methodology to get information on the cultural needs for indigenous ethnic group and found distinction in their cultural practices relates to their wellness (Di Lallo et al., 2021). Similarly, during my practicum, I had a forty-five-year-old patient from the Indigenous community. He was reluctant to open up and tell how he was feeling, but he started to describe the symptoms when the nurse leader came. In their culture, the man values the experience of age, which made him more comfortable talking with the senior nurse.

In a different case, I was managing an immigrant patient from Africa. The patient was supposed to go for scanning, but she refused. Her family demanded that they perform some cleansing rituals before she goes through the machine. There was no scientific reason for allowing the traditions. However, because it was important for her faith, the multidisciplinary team working with her allowed the ritual to show respect to the patient’s culture.

Risk and Safety Recommendations

Risk management involves the processes used for identifying, mitigating, and preventing accidents. It is essential to uncover potential risks and rank them to allocate strategically (NEJM Catalyst, 2018). Clients reported risks from infectious waste, slippery floors, and intruders during the practicum. In turn, the hospital administration recommended labeling waste and ensuring that they are correctly disposed of to a deserted region. Moreover, they recommended the hospital be kept clean and wool mats placed on the floor to reduce slips and falls.

Enhancing safety in the hospital is one of the core values that healthcare providers should observe. For instance, it is vital to reduce medical errors in the diagnosis and treatment of patients (NEJM Catalyst, 2018). One of the safety recommendations from the patient was for nurses to take time to explain how they can take prescribed medication. Therefore, I used the teach-back method to ensure that clients were safe from overdosing, underdosing, or using the wrong medication.

References

Di Lallo, S., Schoenberger, K., Graham, L., Drobot, A., & Arain, M. A. (2021). Building bridges for Indigenous children’s health: Community needs assessment through talking circle methodology. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 14, 3687-3699. Web.

NEJM Catalyst. (2018). What is risk management in healthcare? NEJM Catalyst – Practical Innovations in Health Care Delivery. Web.

Weimann, E., & Weimann, P. (2017). High performance in hospital management: A guideline for developing and developed countries. Springer.