Introduction
Introspection through professional and academic concepts and philosophies is an essential practice in any industry, including nursing. There is such an all-encompassing and all-covering idea as the meta-paradigm of nursing. Experts say that it considers such institutional elements as “the person, their environment, their health, and the practice of nursing itself” (What is the metaparadigm of nursing?, n.d., para. 2). The meta-paradigm not only educates and informs one about the status quo of the nurse but it can also serve as a lens for critical appraisal of practice, professional philosophies and personal beliefs of the medical worker. This paper will share the patient’s situation and analyze it through the nursing meta-paradigm.
Discussion
There is one case of successful care that would be encouraging and reassuring for every nursing professional. About 16 months ago, a construction worker who severely injured one of his arms on a building site required care. From conversations, it was clear that it was the traumatic result of miscommunication and momentary neglect of safety. To be specific, it was a complex fracture of the right arm. The motor ability of the little and ring fingers of the patient’s right hand remained in question until the arm was completely healed. As the therapist and orthopedic surgeon said, the future functioning of those depended entirely on the patient’s physiology, spirit, and care provided. However, the man quickly became depressed because of the feeling of being useless staying in the hospital with a non-functioning dominant arm. Professional, holistic philosophy demands treating all patients equally in terms of psychological efforts (Nikfarid et al., 2018). From an empathetic and compassionate personal perspective, it was obvious that this sufferer needed encouragement and comfort more than others did.
Both viewpoints seemed to be correct and deep introspection took place. The conclusion was that this patient should be given more attention since the psychological resources of the nurse can be replenished. As a result, the “social and emotional needs” of the injured construction worker have become paramount to those of others (What is the metaparadigm of nursing? n.d., para. 2). More nursing efforts were directed towards uplifting the injured individual’s mental aspect even though there has been an understanding that a decision based on personal principles is ethically wrong in nursing. Educative dialogue with the man’s family provided an opportunity to involve people close to the patient in restoring his positive attitude. The builder was able to not only heal the broken arm and restore its full motor function but also maintain an optimistic viewpoint throughout most of the hospital stay and the healing process. In retrospect, such areas of the nursing metaparadigm as the health and the person of the wounded man needed to be addressed, and they were through the other two, environment and nursing.
Conclusion
This work is a description of a patient situation that was personally encountered. It is the story of a construction worker who broke his arm and needed physiological care and significant psychological support because his health condition and hospital stay were negatively affecting his mental well-being. The necessary services were given through interaction with all elements of the nursing metaparadigm and positioning of personal principles over professional ones. The reason the construction worker case was chosen as appropriate for discussion and analysis is that it contains a conflict of professional philosophy with personal beliefs and a solution that is partly contrary to nursing ethics.
References
Nikfarid, L., Hekmat, N., Vedad, A., & Rajabi, A. (2018). The main nursing metaparadigm concepts in human caring theory and Persian mysticism: A comparative study.Journal Of Medical Ethics And History Of Medicine, 11(6), 1-9. Web.
What is the metaparadigm of nursing? (n.d.). Top Registered Nurse. Web.