Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Essay

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Essay

Reflection Paper: Critical Incident

Introduction

Nursing practices are characterized by various critical incidents. However, this paper will focus on an incident that occurred after hip replacement surgery in which the patient developed deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Essay

Description of the Critical Incident

A female patient aged 33 years had undergone hip replacement surgery, which resulted in deep vein thrombosis (DVT). I companied the surgeon during the entire operation where I provided him with the required support. In particular, I administered the patient with peripheral nerve blocks (PNB) to relax her muscles and reduce blood loss. The surgery was successful within the set period. However, the patient developed deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after the surgery. The condition was due to the formation of a clot inside the patient’s right leg.

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The incident was critical since the clot was likely to move to the patient’s lungs resulting in pulmonary embolism (PE). PE blocks the flow of blood to various body parts thus threatening the life of the patient (Bĕlohlávek, Dytrych & Linhart, 2013). Consequently, we developed a treatment plan for the patient that was inclusive of medications (anticoagulants) and compression stockings. According to the National Blood Clot Alliance (2016), anticoagulants are used as the primary treatment for blood clots. These drugs prevent abnormal clotting of the blood. Besides, they increase the time frame required to form a blood clot. Also, they hinder the formation of new blood clots and prevent the current ones from increasing in size. Additionally, we advised the patient to elevate the right leg to prevent the clot from moving to critical body parts such as the heart and the lungs. The treatment plan was effective in managing the condition. The clot did not move or increase in size thus giving ample time for the body’s clot-busting system to work out.

Before and during the operation I was sympathizing with the patient due to the kind of pain that she would undergo and the whole experience. I was imagining the level of pain and discomfort that the patient would experience if the administered peripheral nerve blocks (PNB) was not effective in relaxing the body muscles. I became more emotional when the patient developed deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after the surgery. The clots were threatening her life.

Ethical Principle involved with the Incident and how it applies

            The incident involved the ethical principle of Beneficence. This principle holds that all actions of health care providers are supposed to benefit the patient (Haddad & Geiger, 2019). Healthcare providers should recommend medical procedures and treatments, which are best for the patient (Punjani et al, 2014). Therefore, medical practitioners are supposed to acquire and implement a high level of knowledge and skills in their respective fields. They should be equipped with the latest and best medical practices to enhance their service delivery. Additionally, they are supposed to consider the individual needs of a patient during the treatment process. A strategy that might be effective in treating one patient might not be successful in treating another. This principle applies to this incident since we gave the patient the best. Additionally, the choice of medical procedures and the treatment plan was based on the current situation of the patient. We used what was best for her rather than what had worked for another patient who had a similar condition.

Description of the usefulness of Storytelling Strategy in my Professional Practice and how it enhances or further develops my Professional Identity. How did the incident enhance your professional identity?

Storytelling is an important strategy in nursing practice. Storytelling is essentially the art of translating one’s message into a narrative form. This strategy plays a significant role in conveying a message to the target audience (Alkaaf & Al-Bulushi, 2017). As a nursing practitioner, storytelling enables me to narrate activities that took place during a certain incident to the relevant parties, including colleagues as well as patients and their family members. Consequently, the storytelling strategy enhances support during and after the treatment process. During the treatment process, colleagues provide the required support thus enhancing the quality of healthcare services provided to the patient. The quality, in turn, enhances patient outcomes. Additionally, family members can give the required psychological support to the patients after they are discharged from the hospital thus enhancing the recovering process.Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Essay

Storytelling strategy enhanced my professional identity as a nursing practitioner further. I established that am good at narrating the activities that took place during a certain incident to others. Additionally, the incident enhanced my professional identity. In particular, it contributed to both personal and professional development. I understood that being focused and determined in helping the patients no matter what it will cost me. Despite the incident being challenging, I used my knowledge and skills to help the patient.

Conclusion

The nursing profession is characterized by various incidents that require the practitioners to be competent and experience in a certain field. In addition to knowledge and skill, storytelling strategy enhances the treatment process. This strategy enables a practitioner to narrate to other the happenings of a certain event thus enabling them to support him or her. Additionally, the storytelling strategy enhances the professional identity of a nursing practitioner. It presents him or her as a person with the capacity to convey information to others in a narrative way.

References

National Blood Clot Alliance. (2016). Blood Clot Treatment and Recovery: A Patient’s Guide. Retrieved from https://www.stoptheclot.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Blood-Clot-Tx-and-Recovery-Brochure_Final.pdf

Bĕlohlávek, J., Dytrych, V., & Linhart, A. (2013). Pulmonary embolism, part I: Epidemiology, risk factors and risk stratification, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and nonthrombotic pulmonary embolism. Experimental & Clinical Cardiology, 18(2), 129.

Haddad, L, M & Geiger, R, A. (2019). Nursing Ethical Considerations. NCBI. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526054/

Alkaaf, F., & Al-Bulushi, A. (2017). Tell and Write, the Effect of Storytelling Strategy for Developing Story Writing Skills among Grade Seven Learners. Open Journal of Modern Linguistics, 7(02), 119.

Punjani, N. S., Bhanji, S. M., Mehgani, S. T., & Shah, M. (2014). Health care ethics–am I dying. International Journal of Endorsing Health Science Research, 2(1), 28-30.

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Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Essay