Communication In Anaesthetic Care

The role of the nurse anesthetist gradually developed as the demand increased for individuals who were highly and meticulously trained in anesthesia administration in an era where knowledge of germs, antisepsis and surgical interventions was emerging. During the 1800s, medical students were often responsible in the administration of anesthesia under the direct supervision of surgeons but the increased mortality rates in intraoperative patients suggested the need to reevaluate who would provide anesthesia. As a result of negative patient outcomes, surgeons turned to nurses, who served to be an adequate and reliable replacement. This trend proved to be catalytic in the movement of the nurse anesthetist.

While there was a policy in place for conscious sedation, even good policies rely on the vigilance of staff to adhere to them. Often times, working conditions allow for distractions, and even the best of practitioners, with the best of intentions, make errors. There were several areas presented in this scenario that require examination and improvement.

The nursing supervisor has multiple issues to address in this scenario, the use of restraints and formation of a pressure ulcer are of a great concern, but I believe these are easily rectified with training and follow-up audits to ensure

There was additional backup staff present (including a respiratory therapist) that could have been called upon for help, yet they never were. The charge nurse or nurse supervisor could have stepped in at this point to provide additional help. A lack of present nursing staff and support can lead to unfavorable patient outcomes, as is the case with Mr. B. Additionally, the staff on duty could have lacked training regarding protocols or their training could have been out of date.

This Anaesthetic case study would describes and discussed the scenario of a patient through the anaesthetic role of their surgical procedure. It will include and discuss the anaesthetic safety procedures equipment and drug interventions used to ensure this particular patients maximum safety and comfort before and during the procedure. The case study will include pre and peri-operative assessment in order to describe the involvement contribution of various specialties in the holistic care of the critical care patient. This assignment will focus only on the anaesthetics side of the procedure but will also highlight the importance of the triad of anaesthesia and discuss the administration, maintenance and reversal of

Additionally, the care environment developed a hazard when the patient population increased both in number and acuity with the admission of the acute respiratory distress patient and increasing patient load in the lobby without note of available back up staff being called in. Examples of errors from the flow chart comparison might include failure to assess and monitor when Nurse J initiates blood pressure and SpO2 measurements, fails to initiate ECG with respiration monitoring, fails to administer supplemental O2, and leaves the room without apparently noting the baseline of the patient2. Furthermore, there appears to be an error in the lack of communication collaboration between the RN and LPN regarding Mr. B’s post procedure status and monitoring needs, and there is a failure to rescue when the LPN notes the low SpO2 value, fails to respond, and instead re-initiates another blood pressure reading without noting the results. As Mr. B’s condition deteriorates and a code is called, an ACLS error is observed in the timeline when the patient is noted first to have absent pulse and respirations and that a monitor is next applied and the patient and displays ventricular fibrillation. Chest compressions appear to not have been the first action in this scenario, nor is end tidal CO2 monitoring noted as initiated to monitor the quality of compressions. These are examples of hazards and errors in the care of Mr. B and in an actual RCA the level of detail would likely turn up

UE is a serious event that presents as a patient safety and quality improvement concern in the critically ill infant in the NICU. An UE is the premature removal of the endotracheal tube per the patient or staff (accidentally or deliberately) while a patient is receiving invasive mechanical assistance. This occurrence can have significant risk consequences and is considered a potentially life threatening event due to the loss of airway control and mechanical support. Sometimes it is possible for the infant to develop hypercarbia, hypoxia, airway trauma, ventilator-associated pneumonia, intraventricular hemorrhage, and

Respiratory therapists have one of the most exciting and gratifying careers within the medical field. Unfortunately as with any other job or career, it doesn’t come without having challenging times. Respiratory therapists work along-side physicians and are highly trained to treat patients with any sort of lung concern or breathing complications. This job requires hands on care, and deals with life and death daily. One specific scope of this field involves caring for patients (of all ages) attached to mechanical ventilation. It is the respiratory therapists’ responsibility to remove assistive ventilation to patients with written order from the doctor; which ultimately results in death of the patient (Keene, Samples, Masini, Byington).

This reflective essay is based on my experience as a health care assistant in the operative theatre working as a circulating nurse for a vascular access list. It will also highlight the important aspect of communication within the theatre practitioners when working with patients who are under local or general anaesthetic. I will explore a critical incident and also reflect on my own personal experience. I aim to use this experience to bring out the different forms of communication, the potential barriers of communication and its consequences in the clinical setting. Gibbs Reflective model (1988) is what I have chosen to guide my reflective process, as it incorporates the stages of

With so many healthcare technology advances, clients are seeking permanency and superior quality of life leading to an increase in elective medical procedure, therefore the demand for anesthesiologists is projected to rise. Anesthesiologists are highly skilled medical doctors who have extensive training and have specialized in the field of anesthesiology. Workforce responsibilities include numbing patient’s bodies, in addition anesthesiologists extend their work outside of the operating room, by analyzing the patient and procedures to make decisions about the safest anesthesia plan for each individual. Anesthesiology is portrayed as requiring a laborious amount of education and tuition spending, but a deeper analysis demonstrates how the

Open communication is essential part to a successful healthcare team that directly impacts patient’s lives. In the video “Just a Routine Operation, ” by Laedal Medical Human Factors in Patient Safety, physicians and nurses demonstrates how different human factors contribute to the overall outcome of the patient. Elaine, the patient in the video came into the hospital for a reconstruction surgery. However, during the surgery Elaine had a complication and because the lack of communication, assertiveness, self-awareness, decision-making, teamwork, and prioritization, Elaine did not survive the surgery. This situation shows how important these characteristics are when dealing with emergency care. Even the health care professional with the years

One extremely important and potentially lifesaving piece of written communication that we utilized in my department is a difficult intubation letter. This letter is made a permanent part of the patient’s chart a copy is hand-delivered to the patient’s family after surgery by the Post Anesthesia Care Unit Staff (PACU) and one is forwarded to the patient's primary care physician.

A surgical nurse is responsible for monitoring and ensuring quality healthcare for a patient following surgery. Assessment, diagnosis, planning, intervention, and outcome evaluation are inherent in the post operative nurse’s role with the aim of a successful recovery for the patient. The appropriate provision of care is integral for prevention of complications that can arise from the anaesthesia or the surgical procedure. Whilst complications are common at least half of all complications are preventable (Haynes et al., 2009). The foundations of Mrs Hilton’s nursing plan are to ensure that any post surgery complications are circumvented. My role as Mrs Hilton’s surgical nurse will involve coupling my knowledge and the professional

For example, the process of gaining competency in regional anesthesia requires a student to gain expertise in these milestones progressing from basic understanding of regional anesthesia (Level 1) to independent performance of regional anesthesia procedures and management of complications (Level

An inspection of Mr Brown’s airway was conducted for foreign bodies in the oropharynx, and breath sounds were listened to with Marshall and Hodge (2011:461) identifying that upper airway obstruction will be evident by snoring, stridor or gurgling noise on inspiration. Close observation of Mr Brown’s airway would be ongoing, with airway adjuncts such as guedals airway, oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal airways suitable for use if his airway patency became threatened. Corley and Ringdall (2012:62) explain that endotracheal intubation is indicated in patients unable to maintain and protect their own airway due to reduced level of consciousness with Glasgow Coma Scale less than 9, risk of aspiration of blood or vomit or inability to maintain adequate