Chapter 24, Problem 1RP

Summary Introduction

To discuss:

How do you think that you would respond in a similar situation? Why?

Case summary:

The patient Mr. E required transmission-based infection control precautions. Upon entering the patient’s room, the nursing student found out that the stethoscope which is to be usually found in the isolation room is not there. Another nurse had bought a new isolation stethoscope set and put it together for this nursing student. By this time, the patient got irritated and wanted the nursing student to finish the assessment quickly. The nursing student could not able to hear any sound while attempting to listen to his blood pressure. The nursing student is self-sufficient in doing the basic assessments, but couldn’t found to hear anything now. The nursing student was faced with a critical decision.

Explanation of Solution

In a similar situation, the nursing student should follow the same thing what the nursing student did in the given scenario. In this situation, the nursing student took time to remove her gown and gloves and went to seek the guidance of the instructor and the nurse. The nursing student has informed them about the trouble in hearing the patient’s blood pressure. Upon further investigation, they found out the problem with the broken stethoscope and not the incompetence of the nursing student in completing the assessment procedure. By doing so, all the ethical, legal, and professional principles would be maintained.

Summary Introduction

To discuss:

Do you agree with the criteria that the nursing student used to evaluate a successful outcome? Why or why not?

Case summary:

The patient Mr. E required transmission-based infection control precautions. Upon entering the patient’s room, the nursing student found out that the stethoscope which is to be usually found in the isolation room is not there. Another nurse had bought a new isolation stethoscope set and put it together for this nursing student. By this time, the patient got irritated and wanted the nursing student to finish the assessment quickly. The nursing student could not able to hear any sound while attempting to listen to his blood pressure. The nursing student is self-sufficient in doing the basic assessments, but couldn’t found to hear anything now. The nursing student was faced with a critical decision.

Explanation of Solution

The criteria which the nursing student used to evaluate a successful outcome are:

• The patient should receive the highest quality of care.
• Professional integrity of the health care team members should be maintained.
• All the documented information must be accurate.
• The ethical, professional, and legal principles should be maintained.

All these criteria were found be agreed because the fundamental principle of nursing is to provide safe care to the patient in a beneficial manner. Following these criteria would provide a successful outcome in the patient’s well-being.

Summary Introduction

To discuss:

What knowledge, skill, and attitude do you need to develop to continuously improve quality and safety when caring for patients like Mr. E?

Case summary:

The patient Mr. E required transmission-based infection control precautions. Upon entering the patient’s room, the nursing student found out that the stethoscope which is to be usually found in the isolation room is not there. Another nurse had bought a new isolation stethoscope set and put it together for this nursing student. By this time, the patient got irritated and wanted the nursing student to finish the assessment quickly. The nursing student could not able to hear any sound while attempting to listen to his blood pressure. The nursing student is self-sufficient in doing the basic assessments, but couldn’t found to hear anything now. The nursing student was faced with a critical decision.

Explanation of Solution

The inability to hear the lung and heart sounds would be an important finding which requires an additional assessment. The nursing student would need to assess these findings in conjunction with the other symptoms and vital signs of the patient. The nursing student could assess both the apical and radial pulse of the patient. This could be possible by palpating the radial pulse and then attempting to auscultate his apical pulse. By doing so, the nursing student might have the clue to suspect that the stethoscope is not working properly. These developing actions of the nursing student could provide quality and safety caring for the patients like Mr. E.