Gibbs Model Of Reflective Report

The lack of knowledge and confidence of obtaining a manual blood pressure is an ever growing issue in the healthcare field. This paper will outline the importance of taking a manual blood pressure accurately. Providing the proper blood pressure measurement can determine a patient’s care and outcome when in a healthcare facility. I will talk about the pros and cons of manual blood pressures and personal experience of this vital skill in the healthcare field. I will also provide some simple but effect ways to increase confidence and knowledge by just basic education. All of my information and numbers will be supported by using references and studies in the use of manual blood pressure monitoring.

When the cuff is fully inflated to a certain maximum pressure, depending on the patient, typically 180 mmHg, no blood flow occurs through the artery. As it is slowly deflated a series of bounding motions can be heard. The first of these numbers will be recorded as the systolic pressure, while the last of these numbers will be recorded as the diastolic pressure. A BP reading, given in mmHg, has two numbers. The upper number, the systolic pressure, measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats. The lower number, the diastolic pressure, measures the pressure in your arteries between beats. Some people experience, what is referred to as, “white coat hypertension.” This is a type of hypertension wherein the patient believes the office to be a stressful environment and, as a result, their BP is artificially higher. There are certain prerequisites before getting BP taken: you can neither drink coffee nor smoke cigarettes for half an hour prior, you must use the restroom as bladder volume may influence BP reading, and you must sit for five minutes beforehand. To accurately diagnose someone, the doctor must take separate reading, on different days, at different times. The ABCDE mnemonic can be used to help determine the presence of hypertension: Accuracy of diagnosis, obstructive sleep apnea, aldosteronism, presence of renal artery; Bruits,

(Marieb and Hoehn, 2010, p 703) defined Blood Pressure (BP) as ‘the force per unit area exerted on a vessel wall by the contained blood, and is expressed in millimetres of mercury (mm Hg)’. BP is still one of the essential and widely used assessment tools in healthcare settings. Nurses generally record the arterial BP which is the forced exerted blood that flows through the arteries, to establish a baseline and to determine any risk factors. BP

This information must be easy for the patient to understand and must also be correct and truthful (RCN 2013). The Department of Health define consent as allowing a capable individual to make their own decisions about their health care without being pressured into making any decisions from others such as friends, family and health care professionals. In the adult nursing field it is legal and ethical to gain valid consent before starting a medical procedure, or providing care. This shows that the individuals rights have been respected which is good practice. If a healthcare professional did not respect an individual’s choices they could be accountable to legal proceedings. In common law touching or performing an act of care on a patient without valid consent can be classed as a criminal offence or battery. If a healthcare professional was not following the legal practice regarding consent then the individual may be faced with a criminal offence and disciplinary action will take place (Dimond 2009). The Human Rights Act states that all healthcare professionals should never judge an individual on their sex, race, religion, social origin, language or any other status.

have said with regard to the above questions. You should use all of your knowledge about blood pressure

When checking for orthostatic changes in vital signs the nurse should measure the serial blood pressure and take the pulse of a patient in the supine, sitting, and standing positions. The nurse should first start by placing the patient in the supine position and allowing the patient to rest for 2 to 3 minutes before taking the blood pressure. Next, the nurse should place the patient in the sitting position with their legs dangling off the side of the bed. Then the nurse should allow the patient to rest for 1 to 2 minutes before measuring the blood pressure once again. Lastly, the nurse should reposition the patient to the standing position and should allow 1 to 2 minutes of rest before proceeding to the last blood pressure measurement. Orthostatic changes in the patients pulse and blood pressure need to be monitored closely because they can indicate signs of dehydration concerning the gastrointestinal system. Usually while the patient is in the standing position the systolic blood pressure will decrease 10 mm Hg, and the diastolic blood pressure will increase a bit. Now, when the systolic blood pressure decreases by 20 mm Hg, the diastolic blood pressure decreases by 10 mm Hg or higher, and there could be no change in heart rate or there could be an increase in the heart rate of 20 beats/minute or higher while reposition from the supine position to the

In general rule, every adult patient should be given consent to medical treatment but it would be unlawful if medical professional touch a patient without consent. Therefore, consent is very important under medical treatment. The consent must be given voluntarily by someone who has the capacity to consent and who understands what the treatment involves which known as informed consent.

Mostly all nursing actions are an invasion of a person’s privacy and giving consent is carried out by going into the hospital or being treated at home. So one can say that consent is based on the principle of respect for a fellow human being.

NMC (2015) states that all nurses must be able to recognise the signs of early illnesses by making accurate assessments while recognising clinical deterioration in patients. I therefore need to improve my competency with manual blood pressure to be able to meet this NMC requirement. I will manage my timing to ensure I have the time to assess patients using a sphygmomanometer even if I do not use it every time due to the time consumption. I will then reassess my goals to see how far I have come and what I need to do to allow myself to be competent by the point of registration. My next placement is in a cottage hospital, I feel as though I will be able to achieve a lot from this placement as blood pressure machines are used in this area and with their only being 16 people and a quiet environment I will be able to practice manual blood pressure. I feel as though I will be able to increase my competence level as the cottage hospital support palliative care and end of life care, which means I will be able to practice on poorly patients. My placement following that will be critical care, depending on where my placement is will depend on how much I gain from that experience, for example, Accident and Emergency is busy area so I will not have as much time and support to practice this skill. My transitional placement will be my final placement to which I am hoping it will be on a diabetic ward. While this area will be very busy, I am also hoping it will give me time to practice manual blood pressure and my confidence in a ward area as this is where I have a job once I qualify for experience before getting a job as a Community Staff

“By washing our hands and having good hand hygiene we are showing the patients, their family and everyone around that you care enough about the well-being of the patients to make sure you are not

This assignment shall be identifying the evidence underpinning the skills and professional approach required in patient care. Hand hygiene is seen as a form of action that is done by using your hands to prevent the spread of harmful germs and infections, this action is performed by both healthcare workers (HCWs) and patients before assisting with personal care involving touching. There are many different types of hand hygiene actions taken in the UK, these include Surgical Antisepsis, wearing gloves, washing your hands with a soap or alcohol-based formulation hand wash. It is important to always remain protected when touching a patient, their surroundings or body fluid.

A physical exam for hypertension will include heart rate and heart sounds. An assessment of lung sounds would provide any indication of pulmonary edema (mayoclinic.org). Postural blood pressures should be taken with an appropriately sized blood pressure cuff at least 30 minutes after smoking or drinking any caffeine (Schwartz et al. 2006). These postural blood pressures will indicate whether or not the patient is compensating for the change in position. Orthostatic hypotension can lead to patient injury from falls (Woo & Wynne, 2012). Providers should be conscious of these risks and adjust the treatments slowly and individually to avoid these potential symptoms (pg.

1. Which action will the nurse in the hypertension clinic take in order to obtain an accurate

Hypertension is diagnosed by measuring your blood pressure in both arms. This is usually done in the physician’s office, but can also be performed by the patient with the use of home automated blood pressure machines. The problem with blood pressure machines is that sometimes they are not as

With the information found with what a patient’s blood pressure is, it helps health care