Evaluation
This event was an unpleasant experience for the patient who expected to get relief from the pain he felt. First, the buddy nurse’s approach to the patient was unreasonable because the patient was in pain, and it was only natural to be agitated. However, I listened to the patient and also avoided confrontation by dragging my buddy nurse away with me. This saved the situation from getting worse although the confrontation that happened was harmful to the patient (Webb, 2011).
Analysis
My buddy nurse should have stayed calm and listened to the patient’s concerns even if they were offensive. It would have been better if my buddy nurse exercised self-control and stopped the urge to snap back at the patient. While leaving, it was not right for him to make tide remarks to the patient. He should have excused himself to the patient with a promise that he would be back with a solution. The reaction that I gave to the patient was encouraging because I gave him an option of a stronger treatment, which was subject to discussion. Listening to the customer also gave hope that I empathized with his situation (Roussel, Swansburg & Swansburg, 2006). It is also necessary that I should have made a personalized and confidential service to the patient by showing up alone and not with a colleague. This way the patient would feel that he had been assisted because he would be dealing with the nurse who had earlier assisted him. Finishing up with the other patient first may have caused the delay which agitated the patient. It is advisable for a person to make a faster response to avoid cases in which patients get impatient and yell (Williams& Davis, 2005; Koutoukidis, Lawrencem & Tabbner, 2008).
Conclusion
Healthcare forms part of a patient’s healing process, and healthcare professionals should communicate effectively to build therapeutic relationships with the patients (Van, 1997). For instance, talking to the customer nicely and showing empathy would not only work as the pain killer but would give the patient hope. Making the patient angry makes the pain unbearable and may even worsen the situation. Using persuasive language and listening to the patient as well as offering a faster response develops a strong nurse-patient relationship. This improves the healing process. Active communication with the patient also involves the patient in health care and gives them control over their condition and the treatment that they get. In the above scenario, engaging the patient to enlighten him that he had been taking an overdose would make him responsible and prevent any similar future occurrence. He would feel that he had been saved from consuming more drugs than necessary, and this would encourage him to consult in the future. The situation would have been turned around to a powerful healing process by building a healthy relationship that would make the patient realize that holding back the medication was meant to help him and not punish him (Bach & Grant, 2008; White, L., & Rittenhouse Books, 2005).
Action Plan
If a similar event occurs in the future, there are changes that should be made to ensure that the patient is not treated unfairly like it happened. First, I would address the patient with the therapeutic service in mind. I would respond to the call with the aim of improving the patient’s situation, by the way, I talk and respond to his questions and concerns. My buddy friend added to the patient’s misery by snapping back and not giving the patient an opportunity to express his concerns (Rosdahl & Kowalski, 2008). This would be avoided by requesting my colleague to allow me to handle the situation. This could also be improved by establishing a uniform approach in which colleagues would allow others to handle their cases. Intervention should only be allowed when a request is made. This way the probability of harassment by a third party would be minimal. The notion that communicating with the customer is part of the therapeutic process and should be built to ensure that any intervention made is positive (Webb, 2011).
Health care has changed in nature from the treatment of acute illnesses to helping patients to manage chronic conditions. In this case, the patient may not have been healed, considering that it was a situation he was managing even while at home. The patient can be encouraged to adopt an attitude of self-care by informing him that he had been taking an overdose. This would make the patient more responsible for his health care and also establish a good relationship with his nurse (Mitchell & Haroun, 2012). This would promote the quality of his life even if his medical condition is chronic. The patient’s expectation, which is to be free of pain, would be achieved by providing an option that gives him a long-term solution. Overdosing to kill the pain would only be done for a short period while changing the form of medication would correct the past mistake and offer a longer-term solution. Educating the customer on the dangers of taking more dosage than required is involving and makes the process simpler and effective. When patients are aware of the treatment that they receive they learn and assist the health care providers in managing their situation (Dickson, Hargie & Morrow, 2003).
Patient-centered care gives the patient an opportunity to receive services that revolve around him/her rather than fitting into the services availed in the hospital. When they are viewed as active participants in the care offered to them, they feel acknowledged. This can be enhanced by listening to patients and offering services that fit their requirements. For instance, my patient could have been assisted better by proposing a further review by the Acute Pain Service rather than administering the usual PRN medication. The process should have begun by getting feedback on how the patient had been reacting from the PRN he used. Probably, the issue of overdose would have been raised and an alternative offered. This would avoid the confrontation because the patient would be aware that he had been overdosing. Therefore, the patient should be initiating the process by explaining his/her concerns. Recommendations should be based on the patients’ interests rather than what is available in the facility (Chapman, 2009).
Multidisciplinary teams help health care providers to coordinate their roles and expertise to offer patients quality services. The members of the team should understand their role. For instance, my buddy nurse may have treated the patient nastily because he was not his patient. This should not have been the case because teamwork requires them to respect the role of others. He should have achieved this by staying out of the discussion or contributing positively. In the future, such a scenario can be avoided by working at providing integrated health care in which nurses work collaboratively. This way there would be no difference in the way nurses treat a patient who may have been attended by a different nurse (Nurs, 2001).
To ensure that patients get quality services, nurses should be friendly and accept the needs of their patients. The patients should also be allowed to feel that the health care providers are willing to spent time with them. Allowing the patient to participate in the discussion of their health by asking for opinions and offering advice makes the patients feel part of the healing process (Nurs, 2001; O’Toole, 2012). The treatment service should also be tailored to them by addressing them by their names and remembering their situation. Sharing information about similar experiences and giving them hope builds a close relationship. Disagreements with the patients should be treated as a form of discussions without a formal objection which may make them objective. The services provided should offer continuity such that each patient has a health care provider (Martin, 2010; Antai-Otong, 2007). This way, progress can be monitored while a relationship builds between the nurse and the patient. It is also part of the therapeutic process. Serving an individual patient will help build a solid relationship in the future. This will also include basing the approach from the patient’s point of view to ensure that the patients needs come first before the services available can be offered. This will eliminate disagreements between healthcare providers and patients (Mackenzie & O’Toole, 2011; Jasper, 2003; Seago, nd).
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