As a nurse, I found myself in a dispute with my client’s private caregiver in the presented circumstance. When I told her I had already showered my client that morning, the disagreement erupted. She persisted in giving her another one because it was part of her Tuesday ritual. Several antecedents influenced this conflict: there was a misunderstanding in communication between the caregiver and me on the client’s care plan. This disagreement may have been avoided if we had discussed and agreed on the shower schedule in advance.
The consequences of this conflict were twofold. It affected my relationship with the caretaker. This issue might jeopardize our ability to collaborate effectively in delivering care to the client (Yoder-Wise et al., 2019). Secondly, it generated uncertainty for the client, who was trapped between contradictory directions from two providers she trusted. Open communication is essential for resolving this dispute. A meeting with all parties involved should be scheduled to discuss and develop a clear care plan for the client’s hygiene regimen.
Before the conflict, I was confident and happy with the care I had given to my client. During the disagreement, however, I became upset and annoyed by the caretaker’s persistence in redoing a work that had already been accomplished. It made me doubt her understanding of my role as a nurse and called my professional judgment into question. After the conflict, I considered how it may have been handled better.
As a result of the conflict mentioned above, we achieved an agreement by honestly sharing our concerns. We decided to stick with an updated care plan that accounted for both the caregiver’s routine and my professional judgment. Nurses need to maintain professionalism while addressing such conflicts (Bochatay et al., 2021). They also need open communication to reach mutually beneficial resolutions for their clients’ well-being.
To address this dispute, I used several conflict-resolution tactics. I used good communication skills by carefully listening to the caretaker’s concerns (Express & Parkinson, 2023). I wanted to establish common ground by presenting my viewpoint gently and highlighting the significance of keeping skin integrity. Furthermore, I adopted a collaborative approach, offering multiple ways for the caregiver to deliver care and attention without compromising hygiene.
In this case, I tackled the dispute by working together with the caregiver. Collaboration entails developing a solution that meets the requirements and interests of both parties (Balbes, 2020). I started by explaining to the caregiver why I had showered my client earlier, emphasizing the need to maintain her cleanliness without going overboard. Then I proposed an alternative way we could compromise on shower frequency without disregarding our client’s demands. I displayed components of both collaborative and compromising techniques from my conflict self-assessment score by offering this compromise (Piryani & Piryani, 2019). To guarantee excellent patient care and professional relationships, nurses must analyze each conflict scenario and select the most suitable conflict-handling technique.
References
Balbes, L. M. (2020). From conflict to collaboration: Developing resolution strategies. GPChemist.
Bochatay, N., Kuna, Á., Csupor, É., Pintér, J. N., Muller-Juge, V., Hudelson, P., Nendaz, M. R., Csabai, M., Bajwa, N. M., & Kim, S. (2021). The role of power in health care conflict: Recommendations for shifting toward constructive approaches. Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 96(1), 134–141.
Express, T., & Parkinson, T. (2023). 3 Must have communication skills for health and social care. Training Express.
Piryani, R. M., & Piryani, S. (2019). Conflict management in healthcare. Journal of Nepal Health Research Council, 16(41), 481–482.
Yoder-Wise, P. S., Waddell, J., & Walton, N. (2019). Leading and managing in Canadian nursing e-book. Mosby Canada.