NUR1201 The Patient Experience Partnering In Care

The essay will focus on the importance of partnering of the healthcare professionals with the patients and their family members in planning their care. The interview of Mr. William Taylor would be analyzed in order to develop idea about the quality of the care he received. This would be done in the form of a reflective framework following the Gibb’s model of reflection. Importance of collaboration with patients in decision-making, effective communication, proper nursing governance with right exhibition of values and beliefs, importance of health literacy and many other aspects would be discussed in the essay. All these aspects ensure effective care service delivery and high patient satisfaction.

Mr. William Taylor is a 75-year-old man who lives with his wife. He is highly vulnerable to falls and had experienced several fall episodes associated with cuts, bruises and skin tears. He also suffers from iron-deficiency and diabetes type-2 disorders. However, he is well educated and had high health literacy levels. He was aware of most of the medications and even knew why he was using those medications. However, he was seen to have developed apathy with the healthcare professionals in the public hospitals. The professionals had not provided quality care to him and he had gone through huge amount of suffering for pain when he had gone there for kidney stone removal. He was seen to be very sensitive to the treatment of the professionals. A surgeon did not treat him properly and he felt disappointed for it. However, he was happy with the treatment of the physiotherapist, his GP, the other nurses, gastroenterologist and others. He was seen to feel bad for his father whose foot was amputed even when other options were there. His suggestions at the end of the interview were helpful for the young nurses as they got good amount of insight of the expectations that patients have from healthcare professionals.

I was quite shocked about the improper treatment the patient received at the public hospital. Moreover, the insensitive comments made by the surgeon made me upset as I could understand how much the comments would have affected his dignity and self-esteem. However, the knowledge he had gathered about the medication regime and the dedication by which he was compliant with regime made me feel overwhelmed. It helped me to understand that if the patients are able to develop heath literacy and now when they are having the medications, they tend to get more dedicated in maintaining their health. I felt that the interview, which he gave with the registered nurses, was immensely helpful for me to understand some of the most important non-pharmacological aspect of care. I realized that only ensuring high evidence based clinical care is not sufficient. Providing a person-centered care and ensuring effective participation of the patient in decision making have positive outcomes on the patient’s health (Zaga, Leggat & Hill, 2018).  

Every healthcare professionals need to ensure that they harbor proper values and beliefs that would guide them to provide person-centered care to the patients that provides high level of patient satisfaction. One of the most important nursing values that I believe was completely absent both in the incident of the public hospital and with the surgeon was empathy and compassion. These two are non-verbal communication skills by which nurses need to empathize with the situation of the patient and show genuine feelings of concern for the patient. This helps in trust development and better compliance of the patient with treatment (Farmer et al., 2018). Another important value that I also feel important is developing accountability and integrity. I should be responsible about the decisions I make and   interventions that I carry. The father of the patient had to suffer his entire life due to the wrong interventions and decisions taken by the then doctor. Respecting patients, being non-judgmental about their literacy skills, making them effective partners in decision-making, showing compassion and empathy to the needs and requirements of the patient and many others – are some of the nursing principles and values that are needed to be maintained (Trevena et al., 2017). These would provide a beautiful and soothing experience of the patient with the healthcare organizations and prevent development of apathy in developing help-seeking behavior.

In order to ensure effective collaborating (partnering) of the patient, healthcare professionals need to provide person-centered care. They should involve the patient as well as the family members in making decisions about the care that need to be given and the different interventions that would be included. This aspect empowers the patient making him feel respected (Russell, 2016). The National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards Second edition had also supported the importance of effective partnership with consumers as one of the most important standard along with ensuring clinical governance. In case of the father of the patient, collaborative decision making with the patient and the family members were not done. The doctor operated the leg without taking any one else’s opinion. This resulted in lifelong suffering for his father. Moreover, compassion, empathy and sensitivity are important values of healthcare professionals. These were completely absent in the surgeon who compared the skin of the patient with that of old jeans. It affected his ego and self-esteem.

Only physiotherapy was suggested to the patient after his fall. This approach was not sufficient as fall-risk assessment of the environment off the house of the patients, fall vulnerability scale of the patients and other nursing interventions like fall-prevention education were not provided (Ryan et al., 2016). Therefore, the patient might have faced several episodes of fall as well. Electronic health records can be used for the patient named William as he is suffering from large number of disorders with different treatments and medications being. This would help the nurses to keep records of his disorders, medications, and his recovery as well as also help the other healthcare professionals to be aware of his conditions helping to provide evidence based care. All the laboratory test result could be incorporated with fewer chances of improper delegation and poor quality treatments.  Another important area of concern was noticed was that no nursing professionals were allocated for educating him about fall prevention strategies. Only providing physiotherapy is not enough to manage and care for fall vulnerable patients. Providing physiotherapy can help in increasing the flexibility of the joints and ensure walking and movement abilities of the patient (Boston et al., 2018). However, assessing fall risks in the environment where the patient lives, educating the patients about the ways of mitigating the risks and using of walking aids help in reduction of the chances of the falls. However, one of the most interesting aspects was that the professionals who had treated diabetes type-2 disorder in the patient as well as iron-deficiency disorders in the patients had shown commendable expertise and it reflected in the satisfaction of the patient. The professionals had made him aware of the entire technology that pill-cam followed. When patients are educated entirely about the rationale of the interventions in a non-professional language, the former gets to understand what is happening with him and this aspect reduces anxiety, fear and stress. Rather, patients become more cooperative and confident and this has positive outcomes on the health. Taking of informed consent following discussion about the pros and cons of the interventions are important as it ensures respecting the dignity and autonomy of the patients (Edvardson et al., 2017). Since, all these procedures were followed with William, he was seen to be more satisfied with these professionals and the disorders were found to be under control.

The first negative indicator was the lack of compassion and empathy in the healthcare professionals who were caring for the patient like the professionals of the public hospital and the surgeon. While caring for the patient in the hospital, the professionals made him wait for long time and even did not show any compassion and sensitivity to his needs and requirements. They made him feel that his case was less important and attended other priority cases before him. Although he was not angry but he felt left out and uncared. Nursing governance was not at all portrayed and no accountability was taken. Besides, communication that was also conducted by one of the professionals lacked empathy, compassion and sensitivity that affected his dignity (Poole, 2014). The second negative indicator was not involving the father of the patient in decision making regarding his own surgery of led amputation. This affected his life making his father and his entire family suffers a lot. Therefore, effective partnering in healthcare with the patients making them central to decision making and asking for informed consents are important for ensuring patient satisfaction. Therefore, I would incorporate these skills to develop my future practices

The positive indicator was that the gastroenterologist, physiotherapist and the nurses who attended the iron infusion treatment to the patient had high level of nursing governance. Nursing governance is one of the most important aspects that healthcare professionals need to follow in their healthcare practices to provide high quality care to the patients. Nursing governance can be described as the ways by which nurses can ensure that they can care for the patient efficiently as well as effectively (Johnson, 2014). Nursing governance also ensures the ways by which nurses need to be open as well as accountable towards the people they serve. Nurses need to provide the patients with good quality healthcare services (Allen et al., 2017). They need to be transparent in the ways where they are responsible and accountable for the work. They need to ensure that they continually improve the ways they work. The professionals had ensured that they provide high quality work to William which had satisfied him. The second positive indicator was that the professionals had undertaken considerable effort to develop health literacy in the patient. Therefore, he could not only successfully manage the disorders but also take the medications on time as he knows the actions of each medication and how not taking them can harm him. This had positive outcomes on his health and his determination and responsibility to manage his own health. Therefore, I would incorporate these skills to develop my future practices

One of the most important skills that I need to develop is the effective communication skills. I need to develop proper nursing values that would comprise of compassion, empathy, sensitivity. All these can be considered as the non-verbal modes of communication and helps in development of therapeutic relationship with the patients. I would be joining communication workshops where guidance of my mentor would help me identify my weakness and turn them into strengths through development of knowledge and skills. Moreover, I also believe that I need to learn the proper methods of searching of literature so that I can conduct evidence based studies. This would help me brush my clinical and pharmacological skills like those for fall prevention and many others. Moreover, I also would start reflective practices. This would help me to realize the various non-pharmacological arenas where I am not competent enough. Accordingly, I would work on them and develop nursing values and beliefs that would help me provide best quality care to the patients.

From the above discussion, it can be seen that patients need to be made active participants in decision-making regarding their one healthcare plans. This aspect empowers them. Moreover, empathy and compassion are necessity while communicating with the patients. Proper development of therapeutic relationship with the patient depends on gaining of trust, developing binds with them and providing mutual respect. When patients feel that professionals are genuinely interested in their well-being, it ensures higher patient satisfaction. The patient had very poor experiences while getting service from public hospital as well as from the surgeon who was to stitch his skin tears. All these affected his help-seeking behaviors. However, he had received better treatments from the professionals where he had his iron infusion issues. His experiences help to know about the correct approach that nurses need to take to ensure best quality care to patients.

References:

Allen, P. M. (2017). Strategic Partnering to Gain Competencies for Future Healthcare Delivery. Frontiers of health services management, 34(1), 41-47. doi: 10.1097/HAP.0000000000000017

Boston-Fleischhauer, C. (2018). Employers as Consumers of Healthcare. Journal of Nursing Administration, 48(10), 478-480. doi: 10.1097/NNA.0000000000000651

Edvardsson, D., Watt, E., & Pearce, F. (2017). Patient experiences of caring and person?centredness are associated with perceived nursing care quality. Journal of advanced nursing, 73(1), 217-227. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13105

Farmer, J., Bigby, C., Davis, H., Carlisle, K., Kenny, A., & Huysmans, R. (2018). The state of health services partnering with consumers: evidence from an online survey of Australian health services. BMC health services research, 18(1), 628. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-018-3433-y

Johnson, A. (2014). Health literacy, does it make a difference?. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, The, 31(3), 39. https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=285690531936588;res=IELAPA

Poole, N. (2014). Partnering with consumers for better care. Health Issues, (112), 15. https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=362160245980240;res=IELHEA

Russell, K. (2016). Health professionals learning to ALWAYS care for patients. Nursing Review, 4. https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://scholar.google.co.in/&httpsredir=1&article=1118&context=nursing_article

Ryan, Catherine (2016). The Power to drive change: working together for excellence. Creating a continuously improving consumer engagement framework for excellence in patient-centered care. World Hosp Health Serv, 52(1), 37-41. https://www.dkgev.de/media/file/23334.Anlage_IHF_Zeitschrift_Band_52_Nummer_1_2016.pdf#page=39

Trevena, L., Shepherd, H. L., Bonner, C., Jansen, J., Cust, A. E., Leask, J., … & Hoffmann, T. (2017). Shared decision making in Australia in 2017. Zeitschrift für Evidenz, Fortbildung und Qualität im Gesundheitswesen, 123, 17-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.zefq.2017.05.011

Zaga, C., Leggat, S., & Hill, S. (2018). Partnering with consumers in the public reporting of quality of care: review of the Victorian quality of care reports. Australian Health Review. https://doi.org/10.1071/AH16272