Introduction:
It is challenging for healthcare workers to give complete and adequate care to people who have multiple comorbidities with modern healthcare. This essay will provide a detailed case study of care given to an older adult with both physical and mental health problems, told from the point of view of a student nurse. The case study will look at many different parts of care. The main parts of nursing care that will be emphasized are evidence-based practice, communication, teamwork, patient safety, pharmacology, and self-evaluation. The case picked will be looked at in the context of a community healthcare facility, which calls for a nuanced and multidisciplinary approach to meet the needs of people with multiple chronic conditions.
Summary of the Service User and Practice Setting:
The service user at the centre of this case study is an older adult, which shows how complicated healthcare needs are for this group. The situation is even more complex because the person has both physical and mental health problems at the same time. This means that care needs to be inclusive and individualized. As a case study that focuses on the experiences and decisions of a student nurse, this one is especially relevant because it looks at the problems that healthcare workers face.
The community healthcare centre was chosen as the best place to do the practice because it is geared toward helping people with multiple chronic conditions. By its very nature, this setting stresses providing care outside of hospitals, considering the bigger picture of patients’ lives. In this community-based setting, the healthcare team works together to meet the changing and varied needs of the people, creating an atmosphere where working together across disciplines is highly valued.
The obstacles and chances become apparent when a student nurse is in this setting. In line with the principles of person-centred care, the need for a personalized and diverse approach to care is emphasized. The community healthcare facility is a microcosm of healthcare as a whole. It shows how care is shifting toward community-based models, and more and more people are managing their complex health problems outside of traditional hospital settings(Holloway and Galvin, 2023).
As the chosen service user deals with the challenges of having both physical and mental health problems, the student nurse, who is an integral part of the healthcare team, learns and applies what she has learned in a constantly changing way. Many things are essential in this practice setting, such as evidence-based practice, good communication, working together, patient safety, knowing about drugs, and constantly evaluating oneself. The case study shows these things in action.
Each of these critical issues will be looked at in more detail in the sections that follow, using the case study to show the difficulties that were encountered, the solutions that were used, and how these things affected the overall quality of care given to the person with multiple conditions in the community healthcare facility.
Communication:
The most essential part of good nurse care is communicating clearly, especially when caring for people with more than one illness. The case study clarifies how important it is to communicate clearly and with empathy. When healthcare is complicated, many problems exist, such as how to deal with the patient, their family, and other healthcare workers. As the main person who communicates in this fast-paced setting, the student nurse handles these problems by ensuring they fully understand each person’s needs.
Communication with the patient is more than just giving and receiving information. It needs a nuanced approach that considers the person’s physical and mental health (Ekman, Moons, Taft, Bottomland Fors, 2022). When the student nurses’ communication style showed, they were sensitive and flexible, considering the unique challenges of having multiple illnesses. Active listening, noticing nonverbal cues, and adapting speech styles to fit the patient’s mental and emotional state are all discussed.
Communication also includes the patient’s family, who are often very important in caring for people with multiple illnesses. Student nurse ensures that the family can talk to her openly and honestly to be an active part of the care process(Schroeder, K., Norful, A.A., Travers and Aliyu, 2020).helping each other feel better and making decisions together are essential parts of good communication within the family unit.
In addition, the case study shows how the healthcare team communicates. Because healthcare involves many different fields, nurses, doctors, and allied health workers need to be able to talk to each other. There are times when the student nurse actively participates in interprofessional—considering the chance of misunderstanding, cultural differences, and how the patient’s mental health may affect their ability to talk to others clearly (Whittingham,2021.). We will talk about ways to deal with these problems, like using communication tools, having regular team meetings, and getting training in cultural competence. We will stress how committed the student nurse is to improving their communication skills to meet the changing needs of the service user.
Partnership:
Collaboration is the key to providing exemplary care to people with multiple health problems. For example, the case study shows how nurses, doctors, allied health workers, and the patient’s family can work together as a healthcare team. The essay will explain how critical the student nurse was in making these relationships happen and how they helped promote a patient-centred approach to care.
When dealing with the complications of comorbidities, the nurse team and doctors need to work together. In situations where the student nurse actively participates in case conferences, adds to discussions about care planning, and works with doctors to use interventions that have been shown to work (O’Rourke, Oortwijn and Schuller, 2020). It will be emphasized how important it is for everyone on the healthcare team to contribute to shared decision-making so that patients get the best care possible.
The case study also talks about how allied health workers worked together and brought something unique to caring for people with multiple illnesses. involveing the student nurse in multidisciplinary rounds, joint assessments, and making goals with others (Avallin Muntlin Athlin Björck and Jangland, 2020). These partnerships improve the service user’s general care experience by ensuring that physical and mental health needs are met in a complete and well-coordinated way.
Working together with the patient’s family and seeing them as an important part of the care team is just as important. There are times when the student nurse actively involved the family in planning care for the patient, taking into account what the family knew about the patient’s habits and tastes (Rudnicka, Napierała et al,2020). The student nurse will talk about ways to improve communication and build trust with the family. This will show that she is dedicated to making the care setting collaborative.
There will be an awareness of the difficulties that come with creating and keeping partnerships, such as possible disagreements, varying levels of family involvement, and different communication styles among healthcare workers.
Patient Safety:
Making sure patients are safe is an important part of nursing care, especially when dealing with people who have more than one illness. The case study shows how hard it is to find and deal with the risks that come with the patient’s complicated health problems. The essay will go into detail about the methods used to favor safety while providing effective care, taking into account the difficulties that come up because of the person’s complex health problems.
The first step in finding possible risks is to get a full picture of the person’s physical and mental health. Student nurse works with the rest of the healthcare team to do thorough assessments that find specific risks linked to the comorbidities. This includes paying attention to reports of the risk of falls, the safety of medications, and signs that someone’s mental health is getting worse. (Kerr, Milnes et al,2020) Managing risks that have been discovered requires being proactive and careful. The case study will look at times when the student nurse takes an active role in creating and implementing care plans that put patient safety first. This includes steps to take to keep people from falling, rules for giving medicines, and plans to keep an eye on and deal with any complications that might come up because of comorbidities.
Talking about the difficulties of making sure patients are safe in a neighborhood healthcare setting. Not being able to get advanced medical help right away creates special problems, so the student nurse has to come up with backup plans and communicate clearly with emergency services when needed. It will be emphasized how important it is for the healthcare team to be able to talk to each other clearly during emergencies (Lai,Yuan et al,2020). The student nurse will be praised for helping to speed up reaction and intervention.
looking at how technology can be used to make patients safer. This includes using electronic health data, telehealth, and monitoring tools to keep an eye on vital signs and find early warning signs of health problems (Damarell Morgan and Tieman, 2020)
Pharmacology:
To effectively treat people with multiple illnesses, you need to have a deep knowledge of pharmacology. The case study goes into great detail about situations where drugs are used to help, which makes it clear that it is the student nurse’s job to know about drug combinations, allergies, contraindications, and possible bad effects. In the article, the effects of polypharmacy are looked at, along with the important part that the student nurse plays in managing medications (Nogales, Mamdouh et al,2022).
The person in the case study is dealing with both physical and mental health problems, which is how the pharmacological treatments are set up.Looking at how hard it was for the student nurse to keep track of all her drugs, taking into account possible side effects and interactions. It talks about how important it is to get a full history of all medications, include the patient in choices about their care, and work with the prescribing doctor to make drug regimens work better.
When you have more than one illness, it’s very important to know about allergens and other problems that should not be treated.It is important it is for the student nurse to look at the patient’s medication background, find any possible risks, and communicate clearly with the rest of the healthcare team to make sure that the medications are given safely(Nael,2020). We will talk in depth about strategies used to lower the risks of polypharmacy, such as drug reconciliation and patient education.
Using over-the-counter medicines affects people who already have other health problems. The problems that come up when patients try to treat themselves, the possible side effects of prescribed drugs, and the student nurse’s part in teaching safe medication practices will all be looked at closely (Nogales,Mamdouh,ListKiel,Casas and Schmidt, 2022.). The case study show how the student nurse handles talks about over-the-counter medicines so that she has a full picture of the patient’s entire medication schedule.
The main idea of this part of the essay is how important it is for the student nurse to be a go-between for the patient, the giving doctor, and other health care workers. A deep knowledge of pharmacology and the ability to communicate medication information clearly are important for making sure that the care given to a person with multiple conditions is safe and effective.
Self-Evaluation:
Professional growth requires regular self-evaluation, and this essay will take a close look at how well the student nurse can handle the complicated needs of a person with multiple conditions. It will talk about times to think, admitting your limits, and how important it is to know when to get help from other people or services.
Case study shows how the student nurse is always learning and changing as it goes on.When self-evaluation helps people get better, like when a student nurse thinks about their work, finds places where they can improve, and actively looks for chances to learn more. It us important it is to keep a growth mindset, understand that healthcare is always changing, and be open to constructive criticism(Pramila‐Savukoski, Juntunen, et al,2020).
When a student nurse evaluates herself, it can be hard because of the variety of comorbidities. The essay will talk about how the student nurse deals with the conflict between independence and teamwork, knowing when to handle parts of care on their own and when to ask more experienced coworkers for help or take worries to higher levels of care(Eid and Safaan, 2021). As important parts of the self-evaluation process, developing professional judgment and decision-making skills will be looked at.
The article looked closely at the student nurse’s ability to spot her own assumptions and biases when she is giving care. Self-evaluation will be used to stress how important it is to be culturally competent, have understanding, and provide patient-centered care. It will be shown how dedicated the student nurse is to overcoming any biases, practicing cultural humility, and giving each patient individualized care that takes into account their values and tastes.
The case study helps the student nurse figure out how emotionally strong they are to deal with the problems that come with having more than one illness. The essay will talk about times when you felt very emotional, recognizing the effects of care for people with complex health needs. Self-evaluation will be used to talk about how important it is to get mental support, take care of yourself, and know the signs of burnout.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the main part of this essay looked at all the different parts of caring for someone with multiple illnesses from the point of view of a student nurse. The job of the student nurse is complex and ever-changing. It includes developing collaborative partnerships, communicating effectively, making sure patients are safe, understanding the complexities of pharmacology, and constantly evaluating oneself. The next part will give a short summary of the main points and lessons learned from the case study. It will do this by making connections between theory and practice and adding to the ongoing discussion about how to improve nursing care for people with multiple illnesses in community healthcare settings.
References
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