Essay on Reflective Nursing Case Study

HISTORY OF PRESENT ILLNESS: This 46-year-old gentleman with past medical history significant only for degenerative disease of the bilateral hips, secondary to arthritis, presents to the emergency room after having had three days of abdominal pain. It initially started three days ago and was a generalized vague abdominal complaint. Earlier this morning, the pain localized and radiated to the right lower quadrant. He had some nausea without emesis. He was able to tolerate p.o. earlier around

ABDOMEN: The lung basis appeared unremarkable. The liver, spleen, gallbladder, adrenals, kidneys and pancreas and abdominal aorta appeared unremarkable. The bowels seen on the study appeared thickened. Dilated appendix seen constant with acute appendicitis. Osseous structures of the abdomen appeared unremarkable. No free air was seen.

INTRODUCTIONThis is a case study concerning a patient presenting with low abdominal pain, frequent micturation and dysuria. I will discuss the consultation and show how I used the problem solving consultation style detailed by Alison Crumbie. This involves listening to the patients' initial complaint and developing hypothetical diagnosis. Focused questioning and clinical examination and investigations will then be used to eliminate some of the initial hypotheses. The patients' perspective of their problem will be addressed and the synthesis of gathered information will enable the practitioner to arrive at a differential diagnosis and to agree on a treatment plan with the patient so that they can manage their problem.

Abdomen: The lipases appeared unremarkable. The liver, spleen, gallbladder adrenals, kidneys, pancreas and abdominal aorta appeared unremarkable. The bowels seen on the study appeared thickened. Dilated appendix seemed consistent with acute appendicitis. All the structures of the abdomen appeared unremarkable. No free air was seen.

I am now going to enter into the second stage of Gibbs (1988) model of reflection, which is a discussion about my thoughts and feelings. I was aware of being under the supervision of two qualified nurses and this made me feel very nervous and self conscious. Once my mentor questioned my practice, concerning skin cleansing, I became even more aware of feeling nervous and under pressure. The patient was present and I did not want the patient to feel that I did not know what I was doing. I thought that as I had been observed carrying out this clinical procedure on many other occasions then my practice must have been seen to be correct. I was now feeling very confused about the use of alcohol wipes in the administration of IM injection. I was also concerned that the practice of the qualified nurses was so inconsistent, which led me to evaluate the whole process.

My patient is a 64-year-old that came in for upper abdominal pain. She felt her pain was worse when she lied down flat, so she had been trying to sit up and lean forward for most of the day. As the day went on her pain got worse, so she came into Emergency Department for further evaluation. She did not have any nausea or emesis and no change in her bowel habits. No fevers or chills. No trauma to the abdomen. In the hospital, she is diagnosed with acute pancreatitis.

T.B. is a 65-year-old retiree who is admitted to your unit from the emergency department (ED). On arrival you note that he is trembling and nearly doubled over with severe abdominal pain. T.B. indicates that he has severe pain in the right upper quadrant (RUQ) of his abdomen that radiates through to his mid-back as a deep, sharp boring pain. He is more comfortable walking or sitting bent forward rather than lying flat in bed. He admits to having had several similar bouts of abdominal pain in the last month, but “none as bad as this.” He feels nauseated but has not vomited, although he did vomit a week ago with a similar episode. T.B. experienced an acute onset of pain after eating fish and chips

History of Present Illness: The patient is a 27-year-old male complaining of right lower-quadrant abdominal pain, nausea, and

The patient complained of right lower quadrant pain and of feeling faint. Dr. O'Donnel documented a chief complaint, a brief history of present illness, and a systemic review of the gastrointestinal system and respiratory system. Dr. O'Donnel also documented a complete examination of all body systems, which included all required elements. Medical decision making was of moderate complexity.

History of Present Illness: The patient is a 27-year-old male complaining of right lower-quadrant abdominal pain, nausea, and

I was able to check the patient in a systemic order and to make her feel comfortable around me allowing openness and honesty about medical conditions. I responded to the patient in a professional way as to not make her feel uncomfortable and to represent myself as a professional. The patient felt very comfortable with me during the interview, I had asked her upon completion if I was professional and if she felt comfortable. She said that I was very gentle in examining her and that she was very comfortable speaking to me. During the examination there were moment when the patient and I had light conversation, as I did not want the experience to feel cold and calculated. She showed me picture of her family and the books that she loves to

It is always challenging to accurately diagnose abdominal pain in the primary care settings. An extensive knowledge of the anatomy and physiology could help narrow down possible causes of abdominal pain.

Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods.Oxford. Further Educational Unit, Oxford Polytechnic.

Another important heuristic to consider in the case is when diffuse, dull abdominal pain is associated with nausea and vomiting, it is essential to consider a diagnosis of pancreatitis (Banks, Conwell, & Toskes, 2010). Another significant heuristic to consider for Ms. Roe is that since she had a recent extensive surgery and has been on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, it would be important to consider PUD as a differential diagnosis (Ramakrishnan, & Salinas, 2007).

Gibbs, G. 1988, Learning by Doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford Polytechnic Further Education Unit, Oxford