Treating Zara

In this assignment I will reflect on a situation that happened during my first hospital placement. Reflection is a process of making sense out of all life experiences in general and nursing practice in particular (Taylor B 2004). It seeks to describe, analyse, evaluate and therefore inform my learning experience in practice. I have chosen to make sense out of that experience by employing Gibbs’ model (1998) reflective cycle. I will explore the bathing practice used in hospital, and how best the bathing process as a pleasant experience. I knew this practice placement experience would be different from the community placement I had previously experienced. In this clinical setting, as a student I was conditioned to bathe patients first thing every morning. It seemed this was a ritual routine which ward wanted carried out before patients had their breakfast. The system worked well when there were few assisted washes to be done.

Since I am bound by the Nursing and Midwifery Council Code of Conduct (2008), and in line with the Data Protection Act (1998) of confidentiality a pseudonym of Zara has been used to protect the patient’s identity. Staff names, ward name and other information that might reveal the NHS Trust has been omitted in order to comply with the NMC (2008) code of conduct and the Data Protection Act (1998).

Zara was a 60 year old lady who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and had been admitted on to the acute admissions unit for chest infection, and possible meningitis. Zara was a largely obese lady who also suffered from a right sided weakness and had dementia. She also depended on the hoist for transfer. She had tested positive for MRSA of the nose three days after admission and was moved to a side ...

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