Reflective account Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflective account - Essay Example He had been admitted a week earlier due to shortness in breath, pain in the upper back, and had been generally unwell. I carried on with dressing the wound on his leg and followed the required procedure. The right procedure has to be followed so as to reduce or minimise the risk of infection from harmful micro-organisms. It was during the redressing that I realised the patient was in pain. Upon asking if he felt any discomfort, he confirmed my suspicions. Upon further enquiry, he said that he did not want to make any fuss. I later did what was best for him. I gave him some morphine that would have to be taken orally. Thought Having done the procedure before, I thought that it would be easy and fast. The thoughts I had were directed to the patient. I believed he was in some kind of discomfort due to lack of a pain relief drug. This made me want to find out if my fears would be confirmed. As he confirmed them, it did not feel right and upon further query, he said the reason he did not say anything was to avoid making a fuss. The introduction of morphine into his system enabled me to continue dressing the wound. This was after thirty minutes since it was the right amount of time required for the pain relief drug to kick in. After that, he ascertained that he no longer felt the pain. He was therefore, very appreciative. Feeling After finding out the suffering the man was going through, especially after a week full of pain, I felt sympathy for him. The fact that he was willing to take the pain while I was dressing him told me a lot about the man he was. It was hard to imagine why he would not tell me about the pain. After giving him the morphine and relieving him of the pain, I felt relieved. I felt that I had let him down and I owed him the professional courtesy of relieving him of the pain that he felt throughout the procedure. The feeling of helplessness overwhelmed me when I learnt of his cancer at the beginning of our meeting. Professional courtesy is the most important thing in any occupation (Draper & Tennenhouse 2011). Evaluation Things went on smoothly and perfectly after the introduction of the pain relieving drug. He confirmed to me while dressing his wound later that he could no longer feel the pain he was earlier on subjected to. I had my professional judgement to thank for that piece of thinking. I could not go against my ethics as a nurse to ignore the pain he felt. Furthermore, it was my job as a nurse to relieve any discomfort that a patient faces. It was important for both our sakes to have the introduction of the pain relief drug. Analysis Using hospital guidelines and protocol, I realised that it was my job to do what I did. This by having the patient confide in me, and the steps I took to help him out. It is the nurse’s duty to know of the right protocols and hospital guidelines to follow in such cases. This is for the sake of the patient, the nurse involved, and the hospital the patient is being kept in. In the eve nt that they do not realize this, the hospital runs the risk of getting a bad reputation for not taking their patients feelings into account while in their sick state (D’Antonio 2010). Reframe If I find myself in a position similar to the one I was in, I would ensure that I make it easier to help a patient in need. I will be quick at it too. I would do that by confirming with the patient well before hand to