This particular patient's answers revealed that she was likely to need intervention for perineal trauma as well as the basic PN ed. Normally before such treatment we do read patient notes, however, in my 'being assessed fluster', I thought it was one of those situations where displaying your ability to adapt your approach would be impressive. I began assessing the new problem when my supervisor politely asked for a quick chat outside... She stressed the importance of reading the history before such treatments and pointed out that the lady had drains from her caesarean. I had seen the drains bu 'fluster' took over and disregarded them. We read the notes and it turned out the drains had no bearing but of course its imperative to check when you're not sure. Having the necessary background information, I then finished the assessment and treatment.
This experience taught me to take control of the situation even if it causes inconvenience or awkwardness (such as leaving as soon as you've started). In future I will remember that small steps to ensure safety far exceed my obligation to appear professional. I will also respond more to the environment. In the aforementioned scenario, for example, I should have incorporated questions about the drains early in the subjective assessment.
1 comment:
Your right it is definitely a good idea to ask the patient what attachments they have. However another way of getting an understanding about what the patient will be like and what attachments they have is to read the notes, look at the nurses handover sheet and to ask the nurse who is looking after the patient. As sometimes patients do forget about certain attachments or decide they don't need them. For example plenty of my patients take off their oxygen because they don't think they need it. The only way I know they require oxygen is by reading handover notes and patient files.
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