Evidence to Demonstrate Practice Learning - Essay Example

Evidence to Demonstrate Practice Learning EVIDENCE TO DEMONSTRATE PRACTICE LEARNING Titus Rock Manickam Order No. 280498 11 April 2009Table of Contents Stage 1: Description of the event…………………………........................... 3 Stage 2: Feelings…………………………………………………………….3 Stage 3: Evaluations………………………………………………………...5 Patient Cared for by Multidisciplinary Team……………………………….6 Stage 4: Analysis……………………………………………………………6 Stage 5: Conclusion…………………………………………………………7 Stage 6: Action Plan………………………………………………………...8 Sources……………………………………………………………………...9 EVIDENCE TO DEMONSTRATE PRACTICE LEARNING Stage 1: Description of the event I am reflecting on healthcare. I was at this hospital in Birmingham when it occurred to me how precarious it was to be around people all the time with health problems. Nurses, doctors, paramedics, and others were vulnerable to a host of ailments and diseases being exposed to hundreds and maybe even thousands of patients every day. I was with a couple of friends and we had come to visit a common friend who was diagnosed with malignant cancer and had few days to live. We sat outside the room where a team of three young doctors were providing medical care for our cancer-stricken friend. There were two others inside the room who had come on a visit and more were not allowed while the two were in. While we sat waiting in the corridor I could see there were others who had come to visit their own kith and kin that had been admitted as patients. There were looks of doubts and anxieties on their faces. Although there were good numbers of people present I could feel the air of silence in the entire corridor. Those who spoke did so in low tones. The team of doctors and nurses who were coordinating activities in attending to current and incoming patients were brisk and businesslike in their attitude and approach. There was perceptible show of human concern as they proactively took positions and rendered assistance to make the patients feel comfortable and well-placed (Nursing and Midwifery Council) Stage 2: Feelings It was an event I am not likely to forget for the rest of my life. I remembered the good times I had with my cancer-stricken friend. He was a jolly good fellow. He was in good spirits even when he had entered the hospital for the last time. Sometimes you do not understand situations in life. I felt the same predicament while I was at the hospital. I feel the same predicament now. I had some other friends with me at that time. I have some friends now with me. But for some reason I could not explain, I knew I was going to miss my cancer-stricken friend. The event leaves you in such stupor that you do not know how to place your feelings. There is too much confusion to realize what is happening and how to cope with the issue. You are faced with a vacuum-like situation and you do not know how to fill this vacuum. There is a whole life ahead of you. How are you going to face it without this friend? He will continue to be the center of our discussions for many days hereafter. We could feel the aura of solemnity and resigned desperation. Nobody spoke much. But each understood the other’s feeling. Our friend was in the room meant for patients in their last moments. Perhaps the doctors will perform a miracle. Maybe they will come across a cure while experimenting on our friend. There were wonderful things happening in the world of science. It would not be a surprise if we found ourselves before the doctors coming out and proclaiming that they have come across a discovery and that our friend will recover. But that moment did not arrive. We waited for an hour or so. Then as soon as the two persons who were in the room came out, we made our way in. The doctors did not allow all of us to troop inside. Only two from our group were allowed inside. Our friend was in state of unconsciousness. We could not talk to him. I was one of those who had to remain outside. But it did not matter to me. As soon as I could see my friend lying unconscious, I preferred staying outside. I was overwhelmed with a sense of loss. It did not occur to me if I must think of anyway I could save my friend (Ellen O’Connor). Stage 3: Evaluation It is about ten years now since I had lost my friend to cancer. It would be wrong on my part to say that I feel the same sense of loss as I had felt then. I am more aware now that all of us are an inextricable part and process of destiny. My friend was destined to die of cancer. None of us could be of any help to him. However, it slowly dawned on me that in spite of the terrible pain and desperation he had undergone, my friend was a picture of strength and serenity. He did not shed a tear. At times I could see he was feeling the loss and futility of medical science to him. But he kept such feelings to himself. He did not allow himself to be overwhelmed with desperation and fear. That was how I wanted him to be. At times I do wish that he had cried. That he let himself go and share with us the pangs of inevitable death he felt. They say that it is good to weep at times. At least when the person concerned is amongst the innermost circle of friends. But I did not get to see my friend in such situation. He was the same person. He wanted to leave a legacy. It was the legacy of hope for better tomorrow. I see him even now. He is around. He is not dead. He is gone to another place. I wish I had taken medicine as my field of study. My friend would have liked to see me develop some medicine that could have saved him. If not him, it could save someone else in similar situation. But that was not to be. I was not meant for science. My field is commerce. Nonetheless, I am writing this piece with the hope of familiarizing myself with the current medical scenario. I am also making my searches in the internet to keep myself abreast of the happenings in the world of science. It is good to know that science has made much progress in the last decade. However, it is still grappling with many issues arising from terminal diseases like cancer (Diana Williams, pg 21). Patient Cared for by Multidisciplinary Team My friend received the best possible treatment. The doctors were caring but it was evident there was only that much they could do to keep my friend from pain and ensure that his passing away was as smooth and pain-free as possible. The multidisciplinary team included doctors, anesthesiologists specializing in pain management and other physician specialists, nurses, psychologists, rehabilitation specialists and social workers. The hospital has some of the most basic and clinical research program to ensure that the most advanced treatment options were available (Multidisciplinary Team of Specialists). Stage 4: Analysis At the time when the incident occurred nobody was quite prepared for the speed with which the ailment struck. At first my friend was diagnosed with a mild symptom of osteosarcoma, a type of bone tumor, below his knee. There was a small lump in that part of the leg. It was there for quite some time. However, it did not hurt and so my friend did not consider it any serious threat. Nonetheless, when there was some pain that began developing over time, he was concerned and it was then that the doctors advised him to go for advanced check up. The results showed that it was cancer and it had reached the last stage. He took a few months of chemotherapy treatment, but the results were negative. The doctors said he had only weeks to survive. It was a clear case of unfortunate negligence. My friend was aware the lump below his knee was not healing. He felt he could live with the lump. He was under the impression that sooner or later it will disappear. But it did not disappear. It got worse. With earlier treatment and care, my friend could have survived. Other patients have survived. My friend was scared of losing his leg. Hence, he delayed in going to the doctor and also took his own time in seeking diagnosis. Timely treatment with surgery and physical therapy, including disciplinary measures, has yielded in good results and the patients surviving beyond the times the doctors suggested for survival. It is apparent that with early detection and treatment, my friend would have survived. He waited for a bit too long in going for advanced check up. The delay in obtaining treatment did my friend in. It is always advisable to have medical check up done at regular intervals so that our analysis does not show the ailment is at the last stage (A Career Back on Track, Despite Bone Cancer). Stage 5: Conclusion A stitch in time saves nine! Had I taken this adage seriously ten years ago it would have saved my friend’s life. My friend was the happy-go-lucky kind. Had I insisted that he get his diagnosis for his knee done, he would be with me today. However, all these conjectures are hypothetical. All said and done, we have our tryst with destiny. Think of all the doctors and nurses daily brushing past hundreds of patients every day. Then think of the risks and the threats to their lives from infections and diseases. I feel sure they are working on minimizing these risks and threats through good hygiene and other medical precautions. However, there is the possibility of any infection breaking through these barriers. Life goes on. But the need to be alert is there. And when one must take action in due time, one must not for a moment linger for another day. There are risks and threats. One must take all precautions to ensure good health at all times (Exploring and Reducing Healthcare Associated Infections on a Respiratory Ward). Stage 6: Action Plan Life is an experience and a learning process. The learning process does not end. Lessons learnt the hard way endures for a long time. The loss of my friend to cancer changed my way of thinking. If I were to live again those moments I would do things differently. I would tell my friend to have his diagnosis done the very next day after coming to know about his pain below the knee. Nowadays I never hesitate to contact the best doctors and surgeons if I spot any suspicious spot on my person. If my friends complain of any unusual occurrences in their health pattern I immediately refer them to a good doctor. I even tell them about my friend who I had lost ten years earlier to cancer. Good health is a gift of God. As custodians of our health, we are under an obligation to make sure that none of our limbs or organs suffer from any defect or infection. We owe it to ourselves, our society and God to ever remain alert on health issues. Then we can look back and say that we have indeed followed healthy lifestyles and made positive contributions to the world around us (Welcome to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence). Sources: A Career Back on Track, Despite Bone Cancer; American Cancer Society, ACS New Center, 14.02.2007, http://www.cancer.org/docroot/FPS/content/FPS_1_A_Career_Back_on_Track_Despite_Bone_Cancer.asp Chris Brooker and Anne Waugh, Foundations of Nursing Practice, Last update: 14 March 2009, http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/bookdescription.cws_home/711144/description#description Diana Williams, Writing Skills in Practice, A Practical Guide for Health Professionals, Published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2002, http://books.google.com/books?id=MStPw9Al5AcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Foundations+in+Nursing+and+Health+Care&source=gbs_similarbooks_r&cad=3_1#PPA1,M1 Ellen O’Connor, Foundations in Nursing and Health Care: Beginning Reflective Practice, February 2007, http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FSL/is_2_85/ai_n27156986/ Exploring and Reducing Healthcare Associated Infections on a Respiratory Ward, Foundation of Nursing Studies Dissemination Series 2009 Vol.5 No.1, http://www.fons.org/ns/Dissemination_series_reports/DissSeriesVol5No1.pdfDissemination Law and Ethics in Nursing and Health Care, Nelson Thornes, http://www.nelsonthornes.com/nursing/law_and_ethics_in_nursing.html Nursing and Midwifery Council, Last modified: 26.02.2009, http://www.nmc-uk.org/aArticle.aspx?ArticleID=2425 Philip Burnard, Writing Skills in Health Care, books.google.com/books?isbn=0748775455... Pre-Registration Training, Nelson Thornes, http://www.nelsonthornes.com/nursing/foundations.html The Royal College of Nursing, © 2007/08, http://www.rcn.org.uk/ Welcome to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, © 2007, http://www.nice.org.uk/aboutnice/about_nice.jsp Read More