The Nursing Practice
Nursing is a dynamic practice, which undergoes various changes driven by improvements in technological development. With change in the environment come new challenges and diseases. As countries develop, population increases rapidly, and that means a nurse has more patients to attend to. Some ailments are developing resistance mechanism against drugs prescribed by doctors but administered by nurses. A nurse must be sensitive to detect these changes to recommend the best approach. To achieve success, nurses must work as a team. This is only possible through proper leadership; a skill every professionally trained nurse should acquire for an efficient service delivery.
For a nurse to adequately address a patients’ healthcare needs, the nurse must possess essential interpersonal traits necessary for handling humanity. The nurse must also be a good listener with excellent written and verbal communication. The nurse should have the ability to maintain patients through emotional stability and humor to console the sick. Listening is an important skill as it enables a nurse to explain the symptoms of the patient in a professional manner. Proper communication is required to pass the information to the necessary parties. A nurse is supposed to report accurate information to the doctor for immediate action (Grossman & Valiga,2016, p.30). Patience is a necessary skill that a nurse should possess especially when handling relatives of the patient that demand for information. Also important is to develop proper mechanism for personal stress management to cope with human suffering and emergencies. A sense of humor is necessary when dealing with painful situations that patients go through.
A practicing nurse should be duly registered with relevant professional bodies. The nurse should practice as per the standards stipulated by the regulating body to prevent litigation. A patient can sue a nurse for professional negligence. To avoid legal liability, a nurse should ensure proper reporting by strictly following the hospital’s policies. Both the hospital and the regulating body for nurses have similar standards that guide medical staff (Grossman &Valiga,2016, p.50-53). A nurse is obliged to report a case in case a medical device causes an illness or an injury to a patient. As evidence of work completed, a nurse should document all the processes and medical procedures performed on a patient. The information should be accurate, unaltered, and timely. Proper delegation should be made to only qualified and competent nurses to prevent litigation.
To avoid litigation, a nurse should use an open and transparent communication with related parties. The fact that nursing is a scientific method of exercise not understood by many, dialogue is important in order to make a patient understand their medical status (Kearney,2013). Proper communication makes it easier to handle complaints as they arise. An open communication fosters teamwork and a good working relationship among nurses. This allows for the preparation of an appropriate discharge plan, meaning a patient is only discharged after recovering completely from the ailment. When a nurse is able to develop professional relationships with other healthcare providers, the patient is assured of the right healthcare. This prevents professional negligence that leads to litigation.
To develop advanced knowledge surrounding the legal aspects and standards of practice in nursing, a health institution should adapt new medical technology to resolve medical challenges entirely. George (2014) argues that health providers should provide basic health information to the public so that they can have general knowledge. A patient should be informed of his rights. An immediate feedback and response mechanism should be implemented to monitor the progress of patients and harmonize communication with nurses. A patient whose medical results indicate cancer should be informed quietly and in a persuasive manner to prevent shock and self-denial. Expert nursing should be embraced for advanced levels of treatment for a quality service delivery.
References
George, J. B. (2014). Nursing theories: The base for professional nursing practice. Boston: Pearson.
Grossman, S., & Valiga, T. (2016). The New Leadership Challenge, 5e: Creating the Future of Nursing. Pennsylvania: F.A. Davis Company.
Kearney-Nunnery, R. (2013). Advancing your career: Concepts of professional nursing. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis.