Educational Deficit in Nursing - Essay Example

"Educational Deficit in Nursing" is a wonderful example of a paper on care. Nursing guidelines are in place for the better functioning of the system. Both the patients and the staff benefit from them. They are designed in a way to benefit the whole society. However, unfortunately, there appears to be an educational deficit in clinics. Nursing guidelines need to be followed in letter and spirit. There are clear guidelines for nurses about preventing falls in older people. It has come to my humble observation that falls can be very costly in terms of finances and health for old people. Therefore preventable medical incidences should not be brushed under the carpet.

In a healthcare facility, there is a great probability of finding older citizens. They are weak and more prone to disease therefore they need special and frequent care. At the hospital, there was a much older citizen that we're recovering from different problems. The general guidelines for people who are prone to falling are above 65 years. People over 50 with dementia or vision problems are also highly susceptible to falling.

Nurses are supposed to be aware of this rule of thumb. At the hospital, an elderly fell down on the marble floor. Apparently, it was an accident but when I saw her walking, it appeared that she had left her walking stick somewhere. It was apparent that she could have used help. It is not a good strategy to point fingers and blame nurses, but they should have been more alert in their duties.

The elderly lady should have been assisted. She could have been prevented from falling down on the hard floor. The walking track, walking stick, wheelchair, or a nurse assisting her would have been useful. Probably the woman was used to walking on her own but she got weak at the hospital. Medicine can also make a person dizzy. In this case, medicine influence cannot be ruled out.      

It severely hampers a healthy work environment. An adult or a teenager falling down is not serious but an elderly person is a different case. They can get severely injured. In case there are broken bones it will take them years to recover from that accident. The body does not heal quickly in old age. Moreover, it is additional work for the hospital staff. They now have to take care of an additional injury.        

The incident of an elderly person falling in a hospital setting is a question mark on nurses’ duties. Was the fall preventable? The nurses should be trained to spot people that are susceptible to falling down. They are supposed to make history if falling is a usual occurrence in their daily routine. The nurse should be aware of their problems regarding vision, the medicines they are taking, or their general body balance. 

Sometimes measurements from nurses can make patients even more susceptible to fall (Carlson, 2010). Restraining a patient or limiting their ability to move can contribute to falls and injuries. The use of restraints should only be used when all other options have been exhausted. Restraining a patient puts tremendous strain on the patient’s psychological health.

      A concrete nursing training program on a continuous basis can help. The nurses need to read, understand, and frequently revisit the guidelines to make sure they help prevent falling incidents. It is not a huge technical procedure. The prevention strategy is more dependent on the care factor. Although the majority of falling incidents do not cause severe harm there is a likelihood of that happening.

Moreover when something is preventable then it should be prevented. People do not generally report such nursing negligence. Either they do not know that nurses are supposed to prevent falling accidents or they are afraid that the nursing home might retaliate in some way. This mechanism needs to be changed. Such incidents should be recorded and complained about. It is baseless to be scared of this assumed retaliation. It is not the resolve of this paper to target nurses. The sole reason for this essay is to add something to the healthcare system to make it better.

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