Patient Preferences and Decision Making - Essay Example

"Patient Preferences and Decision Making" is a perfect example of a paper on care.
I have vast experience working in the ICU as an assistant nurse. Most of the patients we deal with are in critical condition. Patients admitted to the intensive care unit have lower chances of survival. For that reason, the majority of patients I care for are usually at their end of life. Working in the intensive care unit comes with many challenges, especially on emotional well-being. Patients struggle with their lives until they can no longer continue to breathe. Nurses show commitment and dedication to saving every patient's lives under their care (Kon et al., 2016). However, there are times that healthcare givers must accept that patients have reached the end of life. Nurses and every other healthcare giver must be aware and understand when a patient can no longer survive from their illness. Therefore the primary focus should be to help the patient have a peaceful end of life. When making a decision, the patient's prior health condition comes into consideration. Healthcare givers should put patients' interests as a priority and apply evidence-based decision-making that is sound to the patient. Through evidence-based decision-making, patients are assisted in making sound judgments and decisions about their lives.

My recent experience in the ICU dates two years ago when a 79-year-old male patient was admitted with the chief complaint of abdominal pain, which was confirmed to be associated with gall bladder issues. The patient was scheduled for surgery to correct the problem. The surgeon in charge used personal judgment to confirm that the patient would benefit from the surgery. The patient underwent a procedural cholecystectomy. Later on, the patient developed some complications which affected the ileus, which required multiple surgeries. He was discharged from the hospital with a sludge drain and indicated total parenteral nutrition (TPN). The patient managed to live on TPN for eight months, after which he showed problems with the drain, which complicated to an intra-abdominal abscess. He was readmitted for additional abdominal surgeries to correct the abdominal abscess. Multiple abdominal surgeries were complicated to sepsis and acute respiratory syndrome (ARDS).

The relationship between the patient’s family members and the clinician was good and open. Clinicians shared every bit of information with the family members. After several weeks of intensive care, the palliative care unit was consulted to shift the care. The medical staff and the family members entered into a comprehensive discussion to determine the course of action for the patient. The family members refused that the patient should never be withdrawn from the care and termed the action as torture to their loved one. Clinically, the patient was far from recovering, even with the availability of sophisticated medical resources. The lack of understanding between the family members and the medical staff delayed decision-making on how the patient should be handled. After a long discussion, the family members decided to withdraw life support, and the patient died a few minutes later. The outcome shows that the different opinions in the decision-making process contributed to the poor outcome (Hoffman, Montori & Del, 2014). If the shared decision-making aid been applied throughout the therapeutic process, the result would have changed.

Life continuation decisions in critical care units depend on the agreement made by surrogates and patients (Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 2019). Any other person, including the clinicians, should only communicate appropriately to enhance the therapy process. Healthcare professional holds the responsibility of providing evidence-based information during shared decision making (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2018). Also, healthcare professionals should, at all costs, consider the patient's values, preferences, and goals before making a clinical decision. Application of decision-aid inventory is the right approach to managing patients since it can improve knowledge among the surrogates.