Nurse’s must assess people’s capabilities and then determine the best technique or equipment to help them move (Brooker and Waugh, 2013). In the liver transplant theatres, we move patients from the stretcher to the operating table and vice versa. Learning the techniques in Manual Handling is a requirement on my part to protect myself from injury. Manual Handling Operations Regulations (1992) aim to reduce the incidence and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) arising from the manual handling of loads at work. The most common manual handling equipments we use in the theatres are the pat slide and the sliding sheet. Using Gibb’s reflective cycle (1998), I will narrate my learning experience in transferring patients using the aforementioned …show more content…
Employers should introduce new members of staff to basic health and safety laws and principles (Saunders, 2004).When I had completed my training, my mentor permitted me to participate in patient transfers - from the stretcher to the surgical table and vice versa – as well as various patients positioning in the theatre under her supervision. She assessed my improvement on the technique from time to time until I was deemed competent. When we do a patient transfer, usually the anesthetist would lead the team. Teams should have an agreed leader to direct them. That way everyone involved will know what to do, and when (Bromhead, 2013). As a start, the leader gives a command “Ready, steady, roll”, the patient is rolled to his side while the pat slide and sliding sheet are inserted. Once the pat slide and sliding sheet are under the patient, the team is now ready to transfer the patient to the other side using the command “Ready, steady, slide”. With ease, I was able to facilitate patient transfer with my …show more content…
Everyone is independently aware of their responsibilities without having someone to constantly remind them. The NMC (2002) states that “nurses have a duty to identify risks to patients and to work with team members to promote environments that are conducive to safe practice. Everyone also values teamwork which made any work load a lot easier to accomplish”.
Analysis
As much as I want to get things done quickly, I realized that I should assess a situation properly and give importance to my own safety as well. Even how little a task could be, not doing the proper techniques and utilizing appropriate equipments could strain the body which could cause great injuries in the long run. Musculoskeletal injuries occur frequently at work in the UK and have considerable personal and economic implications. An estimated 572,000 musculoskeletal injuries occurred in the period 2009/2010 affecting mainly the back and upper limbs or neck (HSE, 2010).
Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs) are caregivers that work close to the elderly patients, also called residents. The CNAs are responsible for taking viral signs and helping the residents with activities of the daily living, such as: bathing, walking, eating, toileting, dressing and transferring. Taking care of patients that are not able to perform common tasks, like using the bathroom, can be difficult. For that reason, a great number of CNAs get injured in their work setting every year. In order to minimize the risk of work-related injured inside long-term care facilities, the facility should impose a non-lift policy and increase the use of lift machines, such as hoyers.
The role of a Registered Nurse cannot be neglected in the provision of quality and safe care to patients and adopt procedures adequate for the condition of the patients because they work at the front line level; moreover, they have direct dealing with patients and integration of personal and professional skills is necessary. Therefore, there are certain attributes that are necessary to be present in a Registered Nurse for accurately performing various tasks. These include; Workload management, leadership qualities, interpersonal skills, control of practice, professional development, effective communication skills and organi zational loyalty (Daly & Carnwell 2003, pp. 158-167). These attributes hold significance in terms of obtaining positive outcome for not only the Registered Nurse but also the organization and the patient. Workload should be managed in such a way that the care process is not affected. Registered Nurse should have leadership qualities to help, motivate and inspire other nurses. Similarly, a Registered nurse should also enable and promote learning opportunities for other nurses. A Registered Nurse has responsibilities towards the subordinates, patients and most importantly to the organization. Effective communication skills can allow Registered nurses to establish a trusting relationship with patients identifying their problems and needs. The code of ethics and principles of practice must be followed and the practice of the nurse should be in the line of the organization’s working principles. The responsibility should be met as accountability factors must be considered significant in healthcare setting (Cornenwett, et al, 2007, pp.122-131; Bradshaw et al 2012, pp.13-14). ...
Nurses have many different roles which include promoting health, preventing illness, and the daily care of patients in all different kinds of settings. It is important for nurses to treat the whole patient and address not only the acute concern but all factors that contribute to the patients’ health and well-being. We are each responsible for our health, and it is the role of the nurse to help their patients be accountable for their health. Nurses have also to ensure
In health care, safety does not only pertain to the patient, but to all of the staff as well. Although this is important, it is critical that nurses are safe, since they usually interact with the patients the most. If a nurse does not follow correct safety and health practices, they may cause harm to the patient, which may end up in a lawsuit if the damage is bad enough. If safety measures are followed and nothing wrong happens, this saves the facility money and it could possibly gain money if the patients refer the facility to other potential customers. Every facility should have a policy pertaining to safety measures, and it should be reviewed as needed. One thing that nurses will need to know is how to properly use lifts and
The first article is, Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. Chapter 34 “Handoffs: Implications for Nurses”, this article is applicable not only to my unit, but every nurse in the profession. It is imperative that the translation of patient information from one person to the next during shift change, patient transfer, or transfer to another facility is clear, accurate, understandable, and complete conveying all pertinent information about that patient. The article discusses why we have problems with handoffs, and different methods for handoff styles. There is no specific hand-off tool that is universal. With that being said it is important that research continues so that possibly in the
Another factor that influences being a safe and professional nurse is having the right attitude. This will help you develop your nursing skills better if you have a positive attitude, because you may work with a team of registered nurses but you must recognize that each of you have your strengths and weaknesses. You must value each nurse for their expertise and skills, and always be willing to learn and accept feedback to help improve yourself. As a nurse, you may be great at starting IVs, while another nurse may be great at talking to patients, another nurse may be great at wound care, etc. Overall, recognizing when to ask for help is a good quality in nursing, this isn’t as a disfavor to yourself but actually a service to your patient, because
The reason for this is most nursing programs have not targeted the importance of nursing delegation while educating their students. Leadership, a trait that goes along with delegation, is another teaching method that is being neglected in some nursing education programs. The reason these traits are seen to be so important now is due to the amount of acutely ill patients increasing, therefore, increasing cost and leaving us with fewer RN’s with tight budget restrictions (Saccomano, 2011). In the article, it mentions that we are in the midst of changing the face of healthcare in regards to all of these issues. One of the many things that they want to stress is the act of utilizing the nurse’s aides to provide direct patient care that falls within the standards of nursing. Doing so it will be the nurse’s responsibility to supervise the being care given by the nurse’s aide in addition to their
The nurse needs to recognize the limitations of each staff member and learn what assignments are within the scope of their practice and what are tasks that need delegation. Delegation is defined as a complex process that requires clinical judgment and final accountability for patients’ care (Weydt, 2010). An assignment is defined as “giving someone else a task within his/her own practice and is base on job descriptions and policies” (NCSBN, 2005, p. 1). The Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) and the Board of Vocational nursing & Psychiatric Technicians (BVNPT) website, lists what duties the RN and the LVN can legally do and is within their scope of practice, this is called the ‘nurse practice act’. A nurse assistant personnel (NAP) or Unlicensed Assistive personnel (UAP) may perform different tasks depending on the state that they reside in, but most include tasks that are considered activities of daily living (ambulating, hygiene, grooming)(NCSBN, 2005). The LVN can perform tasks that the nursing assistant can do, as well as other tasks which include: medication administration (oral, subcutaneous, intramuscular), simple dressing changes, wound care, suctioning, catheter insertion, drawing blood from a patient, and starting an IV and intravenous fluids. IV and blood draws are dependent on the LVNs certification, competence, and
As health care providers, nurses strive to instill confidence in their patients and their loved ones. A nurse is respectful to their colleagues as well as their patients. Nurses promote patients’ independence, patients can be confident in the knowledge that a nurse will do what is best for them, respecting their privacy and dignity. This means that a nurse does not share the patient information for personal reasons nor does the nurse get involved in a patients personal relationship if it is not medically relevant (NCSBN, 2011).
Matching staff skill to patient and family needs highlights the difference between delegation and assignment” (Weydt, 2010, Delegation and Related Concepts, para. 1). This principle came handy, when I was assigned to care for a patient who had multiple injuries from a car accident. The care was complicated with the presence of a Foley catheter, total parenteral nutrition (TPN), chest tube, wound vacuum, and ventilator machine to support the patient’s airway. Under normal patient care assignment, the nursing assistant would perform the bedside care, e.g., bed bath, turning and repositioning of patients who were on bed rest, assisting with feeding, to mention a few. However, for this particular patient, the medical conditions were complicated by the multiple machines and equipment that nursing assistants were not trained to manage. Hence, I was fully engaged in most of the patient care activities. My presence and involvement were required from the provision of bed bath to turning the patient every two hours. I made sure that even with the simplest activity, the safety of the patient was not compromised. The only task that I allowed the nursing assistant to perform on her own, was the emptying of the urine drainage bag for the output
An important consideration for nurses to remember is their purpose in caring for the patient. According to McDonald (2013), Florence Nightingale once said that nurses and hospitals exist for patients, not the other way around. Our purpose is to be present for the patient. Being present means being open to the patient needs, whether they are physical, emotional, spiritual, positive or negative. By being present and allowing the patient to express their requirements, a deeper relationship may be formed and trust developed. This creates the basis for a holistic avenue of
Patient’s safety will be compromised because increase of patient to nurse ratio will lead to mistakes in delivering quality care. In 2007, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) conducted a metanalysis and found that “shortage of registered nurses, in combination with increased workload, poses a potential threat to the quality of care… increases in registered nurse staffing was associated with a reduction in hospital-related mortality and failure to rescue as well as reduced length of stay.” Intense workload, stress, and dissatisfaction in one’s profession can lead to health problems. Researchers found that maintaining and improving a healthy work environment will facilitate safety, quality healthcare and promote a desirable professional avenue.
Everyday, nurses make tough decisions and manage many tasks at once. Nurses are expected to be knowledgeable, caring and efficient in their practice. Nurse leaders advocate, educate, manage and lead their team. Charge nurses are responsible for their unit. Nurses who work overnights are usually the only nurse on the floor and are in charge of ensuring patient safety is maintained and patient plan of care is followed.
A nurse can be defined, according to the Fundamentals of Nursing book, as “promoting of health, prevention of illness, and the care of the ill, disable and dying people. Advocacy, promotion of a safe environment, research, and participation in shaping health policy and in patient and health systems management and education…” (Taylor et al, 2015). Nurses will provide the individual care for each patient based on the patient, the environment, and the health that the patient desires. Nurses spend the most time with patients, they are the ones observing the patient, monitoring the patient, and interacting with the patient. Thought these interactions nurses are able to build relationships with each patient, which in turns allows the nurse to care the patient to the best of their
Especially the patient. When cutting back on staff nurses it is imperative that the consequences are fully understood. In the end, a patient’s life is on the line. As discussed, a nurse’s role goes beyond the medical aspect, developing a relationship with the patient is vital when delivering care. A nurse-patient relationship cannot be provided when there are a bulk workload and long hours with no break period. Having a nurse staff with an adequate number of nurses is imperative to guarantees that all patients needs are met. To ensure that there are minimal errors to no errors made when delivering care, a nursing staff must have a sufficient number of nurses. Additionally, to make sure a hospital's fines are limited pertaining to patient care, an adequate number of nurses. Nurses are a key component in healthcare, however, their duties as nurses cannot be