Category: Ethics

Disaster Nursing

Nurses play a large role in disaster response/management. Depending on the position of the nurse, you can be triaging, activating the response team, providing care to those who are injured, helping evacuate patients, coordinating with other healthcare officials/facilities are just a few. It goes without saying that no matter what the disaster or crisis maybe it is important for the nurse to be prepared and trained. This is why disaster trainings are so important because you never know when something may occur. Being prepared for the worst at all times is important because if you’re prepared hopefully, it won’t actually happen but in the event that it does you have the tools and knowledge to get through it. 

When determining between provisions 2 and 5 that is the constant internal battle of being a nurse. How I personally distinguish is when I am off duty or not working, I put myself first so that when I am working, I can be the best that I can be to put the patients first. When you sign up to be a nurse you know that you will never truly get a lunch break and might not pee for 10 hours and that is just the commitment that we make. You can argue that that is not right, but it is the reality, when at work the patients are the priority. I think if take care of yourself and train your body when you’re not at work that will pay off for when you are, the stronger and healthier you are the better off you will be. Nursing is almost like a sport; you must be ready for the game each shift. 

Electronic Health Records

My initial thoughts about the use of electronic health records in nursing were that it is used to document vitals, assessment findings, and medical history. I was pretty blind to the fact they can be used for so much more than just nurses and providers. With the presentation from last Wednesday, I was able to see that there are so many more people involved in the process of documenting in electronic health records and without all those various aspects involved that would not allow all the types of healthcare providers to provide the most holistic care possible. To me modern medicine seems more holistic and in my opinion, this is just another step in that direction. 

I will apply what I learned about electronic health records to enhance the care that I provide in two ways. One I will take a deeper dive into the charts of the patients that I am working with to see if there is information in there that would be beneficial for me to know in hopes to provide quality holistic care. Two I will take my documentation process more seriously knowing that this can be used to help other healthcare providers down the line, not only will this help healthcare providers but in turn make the patients care and experience better. I always knew that accurate timely documentation is important but not to the level that I do after the presentation from HIN. 

Trauma Informed Care

Trauma exposure impacts the whole person, as healthcare providers we are not only treating the patient as well as the family. The patient might have obvious physical issues, but they need to be looked at wholistically because in my opinion the psychological and spiritual welling being is almost more important. There can be long term physical ailments but if we ignore the mind and only treat the physical, we are only looking at half of the person. I will apply the trauma informed care principles in all my patient interactions. I think it is important to treat everyone the same and treat them like family. Part of this is addressing their past whether it’s good or bad. I will go into it always assuming that the patient has some form of trauma, personally I believe that everyone has some form whether small or big it doesn’t matter to that person it is a “traumatic” experience and we need to support them in a way that speaks to them the loudest. Long-term impacts of adverse childhood experiences can range from physical to emotional/mental and beyond. A few that come to mind right away are PTSD, anxiety, depression, cardiac issues, diabetes (from unhealthy eating and physical activity habits), as well as skeletal abnormalities. I think as healthcare providers this is one of the most important aspects of our care because it helps us develop trust and rapport with our patients, without trust and rapport there is a significant lack in the healing relationship. 

Public Health and Vulnerable Populations

There are many factors that influence the health of the vulnerable and marginalized populations. So many that I cannot possibly name all of them in this post. The ones that come to the front of my mind are the elderly, children who are in the “system”, and access to health insurance. People who cannot find jobs that provide them with the opportunity to have access to health insurance or the elderly/early elderly people who are on the cusp of Medicare and Medicaid. There are many factors that go into this but just in the way that we are all raised and brought up in this world sets you up for the person you will become and the opportunities you have. I feel that it also has to do a lot with your personality, there are people who are born into very privileged homes and come into adulthood with inadequate drive and skills to be a successful adult and then there are those who are thought to have no chance at surviving this world and have the most beautiful success stories. Because of this wide range I feel that it is hard to pinpoint very specific ideas as there are so many. Job opportunities, money, support systems, and upbringing are the ones that come to my mind first. 

I do not feel that we will ever be able to solve healthcare disparities as this is what makes the world go around. However, I do think that there are always ways to improve. It can be as simple as recruiting and helping people find jobs that provide health insurance. Education is huge and starts young, creating a health conscience vision that our younger population will understand and buy into will make a huge difference. Also providing support groups and systems, the first one that comes to my mind is for new first-time parents, both for moms and dads, it is a team sport. There are also ways that as healthcare providers we can help connect with our patients more by meeting them at their level and learning about where they come from and why they made the decisions they made to put them in the predicament that they are in today. There are so many ways to improve, and it is a revolving door but starting small and working our way up is the only way we can start. We can sit here and think about it and keep coming up with ideas but until people take initiative nothing will change. By taking initiative I don’t just mean the healthcare system workforce, I mean as a country as a whole, everyone needs to do their part in order to live a healthier lifestyle not just those who are providing the care. 

Ethical Considerations

My understanding of nurses’ contribution to ethical conduct of research and implementation of research findings has changed significantly over the course of the semester. I have learned that there are multiple ways for nurses to contribute to the overall wellness and research of our communities. I did not realize the impact and chance that nurses could have to contribute to research opportunities. This is a valuable part of the profession as it is a major factor driving the future of nursing care and knowledge forward. It is so important because this heavily plays a role on our patient outcomes and the overall health of nurses. I think that it is important for nurses to understand the history and principles of research ethics because it will give them the knowledge of what it actually is and the impact it can have on our patients. This course has allowed me to see the nursing profession in a different light. It has shown me the importance of providing the highest quality care possible and the importance of never settling. Always continue your education no matter your age because there is always something new to learn that could change the trajectory of somebody’s life. 

Assumptions

I have been working in a hospital for 4 years and I have heard next to nothing about research in nursing. I most recently heard about CLABSI rates but other than that barely anything. I think that nurses contribute to ethical conduct of research and implementation of research findings every day. Every patient is a statistic, every nurse and patient interaction is ultimately a statistic in my mind. The data that is collected subconsciously every day may never be used or not for a number of years, however I believe that it is happening every shift. I think data collection is something that happens daily in a hospital. Analysis and compiling that data into something is not necessarily an everyday process. I look forward to learning more about how the skills learned in this course will play a role in my day to day nursing career. 

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