Relational Inquiry in Clinical Reasoning - Essay Example

"Relational Inquiry in Clinical Reasoning" is an outstanding example of a paper on the health system.
In the healthcare field, relational inquiry refers to an approach that enables medical personnel such as nurses to thoroughly examine and understand different healthcare situations that may arise in various healthcare contexts and how to deal with such situations using critical thinking, reasoning, and theories. All the health care team members dealing with a patient must give heed to the patient's beliefs and culture, but in a context within the health care system policies. All these factors should have a meeting point to optimize a patient's health outcome. Therefore, the application of relational inquiry in health care gives room for the practice of ethics among medical personnel when dealing with a patient of whichever background. This journal entry will discuss the given scenario in terms of how relational inquiry was applied to promote the process of clinical reasoning, incorporating the context and culture for the well-being of the patient.

 In the given scenario, the relational inquiry was applied to promote the process of clinical reasoning.  First, the nursing student put into practice various relational inquiry skills, such as the skill of self-observation and skill of listening. This is from how the nursing student observed that the patient was upset and unwilling to sign the consent for surgery unless they meet his religious and cultural beliefs would. Additionally, the student was able to observe that instead of the charge nurse solely taking charge and making the decision solo, he gathered a team of other nurses to come up with a solution on how to help the patient. The relational inquiry skill of listening came into play because the nurses handling the patients did not disregard or demean his cultural beliefs and demands. Instead, the nurses listened to the patient's request and promised to seek ways to help him. 

The second evidence of the application of relational inquiry in the clinical reasoning of the situation is from how the nurses, under the leadership of the charge nurse, reviewed the procedure and policy manuals of the health care facility to determine how and whether the patient's cultural demand of taking the religious object into the operating room would work out. The nurses did not rely on their knowledge in decision-making. Instead, they came together to research and reason how to help the patient best but within the confinement of the facility's regulations.

The third evidence of the application of relational inquiry is from one of the nurses' critical thinking and reasoning. This was the nurse who suggested that the patient's demand be addressed by wrapping the patient's religious object in a non-conductive material and applying it to the patient using sterile dressing. This was a very vital thought. It provided a reasonable point of intersection between the patient's needs, and the scope of the facility would possibly allow in their policies and regulations. The fact that the recommendation needed a surgeon's approval shows that relational inquiry as an approach is not outside the bounds of healthcare policies and regulations. It is a tool to critically complement the decisions made by medical personnel all for the betterment of the patient's health outcome and well-being.

In my opinion, I believe that the action of listening to the patient and respecting his unique cultural belief was appropriate. This is because, in the modern-day, the patient population has become too diverse, each with emerging medical needs and trends. Therefore, there cannot be a single medical approach that works universally for all patients. This means that relational inquiry as a tool is vital in aiding nurses and other medical personnel in dealing with the diverse patient population. Relational inquiry allows the medical team to collaborate and think critically on how to best aid the patient in maximizing health outcomes and quality well-being.

In the given scenario, the application of relational inquiry allowed a meeting point between the patient's cultural beliefs and his medical condition and treatment requirement of surgery. Had the nurses dismissed the patient's cultural beliefs, they would risk the patient not agreeing to the surgery, which was a critical step in his recovery. The belief could have been based on the fact that the patient believed the religious object would keep him safe from harm during the surgery. Therefore, denying him the demand would mean he opts out of surgery and risk worsening of his condition and possibly preventable death, or unnecessary conflict within the operating room that would prevent the surgeon and nurses from effectively doing their work. The collaboration of the nurses with the patient's interest at heart led to the idea that was allowing the patient's culture needs to be met and increasing the probability of attaining optimal health care and well-being through willingly accepting the surgery.

In conclusion, relational inquiry allows nurses and other medical personnel to make informed, high-quality, and ethical decisions that ensure proper health outcomes for the patients. Health care has evolved to the extent that medical staff, nurses included, can no longer play traditional roles only, such as caregiving for nurses. Instead, the diverse patient population now demands mutual trust and respect, with medical personnel having to give regard to the culture, belief, sexual orientation, gender, and other factors surrounding a patient that may directly or indirectly affect the outcome of their health overall well-being.