Apply Reflective Practice, Critical Thinking, and Analysis in Health - Term Paper Example

Apply Reflective Practice, Critical Thinking and Analysis in Health Name Id Professor Course Date Reflect on situations that may produce a damaging impact on nursing. Analytical problem solving approach Introduction Clinical duties expose nurses to the danger of infection and injury. The nurses’ career might be adversely affected in case of early deaths or even illnesses. Nurses who tests positive with HIV or blood-borne hepatitis viruses, are banned from working with a surgery department. Patients also experience risks that come as a result of careless hygiene condition adopted by the nurses and doctors during wound treatments. Hospital generated infections usually costs the NHS £1billion annually. A maximum of 5,000 patients pass on annually from hospital generated infections contracted subsequent to admission (Behrens-Baumann & Kramer, 2002). Generating Alternatives, and Evaluating Alternatives The patients and nurses alike can avoid infections through several ways. One way of ensuring safety in such condition requires the patients and nurses to get and stay vaccinated. Secondly, there remains the need to continuously learn and adhere to sharp practices that are sharp. Thirdly, the nurses must insist on infection control procedures. Last but not least, the nurses are required to report and seek assistance in case of needle stick accidents (Ebbing, 2010). Implementing the solution The nurses require protection via vaccination especially on diseases like hepatitis B, rubella, and tuberculosis. Most teaching hospitals emphasize on completed vaccination on students to ensure that the recruited lot have successfully undergone vaccination prior to working with patients. To retain proof of vaccination the trainees are advised to carry their vaccination cards. The trainees and nurses that enter the wards required to be holding their vaccination cards, the ones that do not have one are required to contact the IC clinic. The hepatitis B booster is conducted every five years to maintain immunity (Bassett, 2006). Creative problem solving techniques Prevention is considered better, rather than waiting to cure the disease. Nurses who cover their wounds and cuts and recovering cuts and gazes with adhesive dressing lower their chances of contacting diseases that are linked to careless handling by medical practitioners. For protection of their clothes and hands against eczema, nurses should wear disposable gloves like vinyl. Gloves remain paramount in external examinations and wound dressings. Disposing off of gloves and other equipments used in the examination of the patient help in reducing the chances of infection. Similarly, the nurses must ensure that they clean their hands with disinfectants as soon as they finish attending to the patients (Lindh, 2010). Identify Aspects Of Practice Which Contribute To The Situation. Nurses remain vulnerable to dangerous infections, from inoculation accidents, with needle sticks and scapple amongst other sharp objects. Despite the demands of the situation, nurses must adhere to practices that ensure safety of their health (Turgeon, 2005). The rules that determines the extent of safety in the patients includes constant wearing of the gloves. In as much as gloves do not bar accidents, they help reduce the risks that may cause infections. The replacement of needles and syringes with Vacutainers reduce the effects and risks of sharp instruments injuries. Sharp objects must be discarded as a complete unit, never undo the system, meaning to separate the syringe system (Tharpe, 2006). The needles must never be re-sheathed. After using the sharp object ensure you dispose them immediately to avoid accidents, ensure that the sharp bins are placed far from the bedside. The sharp bins require attention, and ensure that the bin is never too full. No matter what falls inside the bin the nurses must never put their hands in the sharp bin. The high risks patients bleeding must be properly and carefully taken care (Mcclatchey, 2001). Take the required time to attain the expertise required to take blood and talented with Vacutainers. The proper teachers must be the guide that ensures that learners attain the required aptitude to ensure their safety in practical. The learners should ensure they are working together with the phlebotomist and asking relevant questions which will ensure mastery of important facts. The students are prohibited from taking blood coupled with other procedures that entails use of sharp objects on patients, who have tested positive with the HIV or blood borne viruses (Wilson, 2006). Dangerous Situations That Can Occur To the Nurse Needle sticks action HIV, Hepatitis B and C accidents cause transmission via the contact of the blood of the parties or physiological fluids. The nurses are at a high risk of infection if there are any graze, a wounded puncture from the use of a sharp object. Some patients lose it and end up biting the nurse, if the skin is broken then the nurse might be at risk of contacting or infected with the patient’s disease. The nurses are required to be keen to ensure that the patient’s blood does not splash into the nurse’s eye, mouth or even their broken skin (Hitchcock et al, 2003). Explore Possible Solutions Using A Literature Search And Input From Professional Colleagues. In case the nurses feel that any of the above situations has taken place, they need to exit whatever they were doing and seek the required attention. Prior to seeking required medical attention the nurse can conduct first aid including; washing off the contaminating material from their bodies. The practice can be made effective via the use of saline water or even tap water to wipe out the contaminating material from the nurse’s body. The nurse must never suck or squeeze the wound as these results into accumulation and flow of the disease into the body. Instead, shake the wound to encourage bleeding (Ebbing, 2010). Bleeding helps reduce if not eliminate the virus from accumulation and development in the body. The wound can also be cleaned by washing off the contamination in a running water tap. The occupational health department remains responsible for the safety of the employees. The nurse is required to be familiar with the safety practices that protect their rights and safety. The wounded nurse should visit the protection department, despite the health status of the patient. This is because the patent can be infected with blood borne disease unknowingly. The patients may also test positive with the viruses but ask the physical assistant not to record the information. The in charge nurse is required to gain full information concerning the injury, and to finalize the accident form report (Pairman, 2010). Post –Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) PEP helps victims of dangerous innnoculation accident treat and prevent or lessen the risk of infection of HIV and Hepatitis B. Most hospitals provide the PEP service in their occupational health department. The nurses are required to seek their help to determine the extent of the risk and if PEP treatment would make sense. An individual is discouraged from depending on their own or their ward doctors’ examination of the situation. Normally, PEP treatment works effectively within the first hours of the accident. In case of closure of the occupational department the individual can access treatment from the senior or call physicians or the A&E department. The attachées are required to get information from the organization immediately they are absorbed (Dyro, 2004). HIV Post Exposure Prophylaxis The chances of exposure to HIV transmission that comes from exposure accidents remain slim but, can still take place. The treatment as at today involves putting the victims into a 28 day treatment plan. The treatment involves drugs issuance to fight the supposed HIV infection that the individual may be exposed. The drug results into distasteful side effects the advantage of the drug remains valuable than the disadvantages of the drug. The victims have to make decisions concerning the consumption of the medicine. Although, frequently the nurse in charge help the visitors arrive at a helpful decision at the end of the day (Courtney & Mccutcheon, 2010). The statistics of infection transfer from the children to the parents; 1: 300 patients via needle stick by use of Hypodermic needle, and 1:3000 the patients that had the blood splash into the mucus membrane of the broken files. Patients in their initial Sero conversion phase or the final stage infection also termed full blown condition of AIDS experience up to1is to the ratio of 30 individuals’ risk of infecting others. Others that fall in the same brackets include; the people whose injuries were caused by the large bore injuries like the IV cannnula, when the blood gets injected without intent, the injury appears deep like a puncture wound that sinks down the skin. Serum, CSF together with the other physiological fluids like the CSF remains infectious. The case appears critical when the victim experiences blood stain. The faeces, urine and saliva rate of re- infection appears low unless there are blood stains in the same (Behrens-Baumann & Kramer, 2002). Recognise The Process And Benefits Of Reflective Practice On Evidence Based Solutions. Nosocomial infection refers to an infection gotten in the process of medical examination remains a problem in most hospitals. A maximum of 5,000 patients end up dying annually from the nonsocomial infections. Out of the total number of patients who experiences nosocomial infections, only 30 % can be prevented using simple infection control procedures. These infections can result to, increased costs of operation, augmented harm rates, and increased waiting lists in the hospitals (Ebbing, 2010). There are also other prevention measures that appear cheaper and simple. These measures include hand washing so as to reduce cases of accidental transmission amongst patients. The infections may occur via the hands from the carrier to the others. The medical students appear prone as they are learning and adapting the measures. Every hospital applies certain principals and procedures to ensure that the infections rate among the patients and amongst the nurses themselves and from the patients to the nurses or other physical assistants is significantly reduced. If the nurses and other physical assistants want to reduce the cases of infections in the hospital they must adhere to the set principles and practices (Behrens-Baumann and Kramer, 2002). The nurses are required to get the idea that this is for their own benefits and hence cutting short cuts in the procedures not only puts their patients lives at risk but also the nurses and other careless practitioners. Infection control involves always washing ones hand before and after common wound and other delicate procedures. The cases that require washing of hands includes before contact with wounds, V sites, this serves to reduce the rate of re- infecting the wounds. There are also other patients in the hospital who appear vulnerable; this call for the nurse attention as the nurse is supposed to attend to such patients with improved care. The nurses are required washing their hands before attending to the patients with the vulnerable nature. In situations where the patient attendant usually the nurse, needs to take blood they are required to have clean hands. Nurses and other physical assistants must ensure that they wash their hands before eating because of the nature of their job and also as a necessity. This reduces cases of infections including diarrhea amongst other diseases (Wilson, 2006). There are other cases that require the nurse and other physical assistants to wash their hands after attending some processes both in the hospital and outside. The practice of hand washing helps the adherence to reduce or eliminate cases of infections. The nurse and other physical attendants need to wash their hands after removing the gloves. Further, there appears the need for the nurses and other care givers to wash their hands after contact with patients that have infections (Ebbing, 2010). Changing and lifting dressings has also proven to have an increased chance of infection which calls for hand wash. The visiting of the toilets also calls for a hand wash despite the nature of the visit. Some patients appear so sick that they can barely afford to visit the toilets. The situation requires the attention of the nurse to assist the patient go through the condition. The nurse ensures that the patient has visited the toilet. This means that the nurse has to ensure that she/ he has washed their hands (Bassett, 2006). Infection Control: Barrier Nursing Barrier nursing involve a situation where the nurse has to exercise extra caution while dealing with patients since the risk of infection remains high. The cases that require barrier nursing includes when the patient is suffering from a contagious disease with dangerous bacteria like the MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staph. Aureus) and when the patient appears susceptible to infection also termed as immuno-deficient patients (Bassett, 2006). Proper barrier nursing depends entirely on the ability of all the people that have physical contact with the patient to adhere to the set procedures. Individuals that contact the patients who are barrier nursed are required to put on protective equipments provided by the hospital. This reduces re- infection cases. In case an individual walks to such a room and finds that some safety materials are missing, the individual must report the matter to the nurse in charge for replacement. The gowns, gloves, and masks must be removed before exiting the room. The disposal clothing must be properly disposed after use. The doors that harbor such patients must be closed after entering and exit of the room. After the examination of the patients, the nurse must wash their hands immediately, even in instances when they had worn the gloves (Behrens-Baumann and Kramer, 2002). Infection control: illness Patients with infectious illness might infect the patients in the wards or in the clinic. Some patients are vulnerable to infections especially the very old, the sick patients or the very young patients. Nurses that remain prone to infection rash must stay away from the wards and clinic; as they may be easily infected. Vomiting and diarrhea sickened individuals must also stay away from the wards as chances are they might infect the patients (Hitchcock et al, 2003). The Limitation of the use antimicrobial agents Increased use of the antimicrobial agents accelerates the risks of resistance from anti infection drugs. Resistance can either take place naturally or due to the micro organisms which strengthen its resistance power over time. The situation results from selective pressure resulting from the over use in prescription anti microbial drugs (Wilson, 2006). The resistance of the drugs complicates the situation as it becomes harder for antimicrobials effective performance. In real sense the treatment of the disease becomes a challenge. The issue of resistance remains a challenge and a real predicament in the opinion of the public health. The risk of treatment resistance remains a global issue rather than an issue confined in the United Kingdom. To prevent further development of the threat depicted by overuse of antimicrobials, nurses efforts remains valuable (Bassett, 2006). The help includes but not limited to a number of procedures. Firstly, there is the need to ensure proper collection and management in case a suspicion of an infection occurs. Proper scrutiny of the results confirms the signs and symptoms that results indicates the presence of the infection should be adopted. The measures used to confirm the infection must be effective and precise. The provision of antimicrobial agents at prompt interval ensures reduced level of inhibitory concentration in the body; facilitating the effectiveness of the causative organism. The dose recommended must be treated to ensure stability in the system. This means that under and over dose must be avoided at all cost. Similarly, the prevention care must be strictly adhered to, prevent the spread of résistance micro organisms around the clinical setting. Further, any possible concerns in relation to the treatment of infection require discussion with relevant medical team, the local pharmacist, or even the medical team. Taking part in audits and disseminating findings on antimicrobials with the care team ensures effective support and communication relating to the prevailing practice and the ways of improving care in practice (Hitchcock et al, 2003). Conclusion Cases of infection in the hospital remain the responsibility of the nurses and other health practitioners. When extra care is taken by the nurses to ensure safety in the hospital the cases of infections will significantly reduce. The illnesses that are air and blood borne require strict adherence to the set procedures. The occupational health safety department should ensure proper stocking of the required medications such as PEP to reduce the extent of risks in patients (Pairman, 2010). Bibliography Bassett, C., 2006, Qualitative Research in Health Care, Chichester, John Wiley & Sons, Retrieved from: http://public.eblib.com/EBLPublic/PublicView.do?ptiID=255352. Behrens-Baumann, W., & Kramer, A., 2002, Antiseptic prophylaxis and therapy in ocular infections: principles, clinical practice and infection control, Basel [u.a.], Karger. http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=JkQOSAnOIhoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Behrens-Baumann,+W.,+%26+Kramer,+A.,+2002,+Antiseptic+prophylaxis+and+therapy+in+ocular+infections:+principles,+clinical+practice+and+infection+control,+Basel+[u.a.],+Karger.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=mdZFUZexFsiShgf27YGQBw&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false Courtney, M. D., & Mccutcheon, H., 2010, Using evidence to guide nursing practice, Sydney, Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier, Retrieved from: http://site.ebrary.com/id/10504825 Dyro, J. F., 2004, Clinical engineering handbook, Amsterdam [u.a.], Elsevier/Acad, Press. EBBING LAUTENBACH, 2010, Practical Healthcare Epidemiology, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, Retrieved from: http://www.myilibrary.com?id=250598&ref=toc. Hitchcock, J. E., Schubert, P. E., & Thomas, S. A, (2003), Community health nursing: caring in action. Australia, Thomson/Delmar Learning http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=ap6pAAAACAAJ&dq=Hitchcock,+J.+E.,+Schubert,+P.+E.,+%26+Thomas,+S.+A,+%282003%29,+Community+health+nursing:+caring+in+action.+Australia,+Thomson/Delmar+Learning&hl=en&sa=X&ei=EtZFUcrtE9HB7AaNnICYBg&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAQ Lindh, W. Q., 2010, Delmar's comprehensive medical assisting: administrative and clinical competencies, Clifton Park, NY, Delmar Cengage Learning. http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=AUhJKmKJ_eEC&pg=PP3&lpg=PP3&dq=Lindh,+W.+Q.,+2010,+Delmar%27s+comprehensive+medical+assisting:+administrative+and+clinical+competencies,+Clifton+Park,+NY,+Delmar+Cengage+Learning.&source=bl&ots=1HWfYJAk_I&sig=IErQBfPW2nNsz1XcuJtbo7kOUCE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=y9VFUfuBMM2BhQf074CYBw&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false Mcclatchey, K. D. 2001. Clinical laboratory medicine. Philadelphia, Lippincott Wiliams & Wilkins. http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=AQ0vvBFg790C&pg=PA265&dq=Mcclatchey,+K.+D.+2001.+Clinical+laboratory+medicine.+Philadelphia,+Lippincott+Williams+%26+Wilkins.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=htVFUeWnJ4SYhQfchoGQBw&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Mcclatchey%2C%20K.%20D.%202001.%20Clinical%20laboratory%20medicine.%20Philadelphia%2C%20Lippincott%20Williams%20%26%20Wilkins.&f=false Pairman, S, 2010, Midwifery preparation for practice, Chatswood, NSW, Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier, Retrieved from: http://site.ebrary.com/id/10551163. THARPE, N., 2006, Clinical practice guidelines for midwifery & women's health, Sudbury, Mass, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Retrieved from: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=200882. Turgeon, M. L., 2005, Clinical hematology: theory and procedures, Philadelphia, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=Fs6ok8dkBP8C&pg=PA850&dq=Turgeon,+M.+L.,+2005,+Clinical+hematology:+theory+and+procedures,+Philadelphia,+Lippincott+Williams+%26+Wilkins&hl=en&sa=X&ei=K9VFUff6Doe5hAf_jICQBw&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Turgeon%2C%20M.%20L.%2C%202005%2C%20Clinical%20hematology%3A%20theory%20and%20procedures%2C%20Philadelphia%2C%20Lippincott%20Williams%20%26%20Wilkins&f=false Wilson, J., 2006, Infection control in clinical practice. Edinburgh, Elsevier, Baillière Tindall. http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=YTktpMWytE0C&pg=PA149&dq=Wilson,+J.,+2006,+Infection+control+in+clinical+practice.+Edinburgh,+Elsevier,+Baillie%CC%80re+Tindall.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=5tRFUe--DISyhAezw4GYBw&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Wilson%2C%20J.%2C%202006%2C%20Infection%20control%20in%20clinical%20practice.%20Edinburgh%2C%20Elsevier%2C%20Baillie%CC%80re%20Tindall.&f=false Read More