Facing Setbacks During Virtual Clinic Day: Examining Patient Care Mistakes - Essay Sample

Introduction

From the virtual clinic day task, I faced numerous setbacks while accomplishing the training for optimal patient care. The patient I was expected to care for was diagnosed with a community-acquired and COPD-exacerbated pneumonia. At 09:10, I delivered oxygen to the patient, but I exceeded the 88-92% concentration. I also made other mistakes such as failing to continually monitor the temperature of the temperature, more so given that he was acutely ill. I also did not monitor the concentrations of oxygen, as well as the heartbeat rate. I failed to conduct a repeat monitoring of the patients' blood pressure. I also missed to take the medical history of the patient as well as his definitive diagnosis, for the case of Wilfred, this would be critical as a way of narrowing down the differentials and thus instigating appropriate management.

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The other mistakes and errors I committed included forgetting to conduct a functional assessment for the patient, assess the airway of the breathless patient, auscultate his lung fields, perform a cardiac exam, examine the legs as an assessment on the cause of breathlessness, do IV access, or take a blood gas. I also failed to request an EKG for the tachycardic and breathless patient. Communication between the patient and me was also critical, yet I was unable to reassure the patient or even update him on his progress. I also failed to establish an effective communication thread with my team by failing to fill them on the patient's progress. I failed to undertake an effective handover process by failing to complete the SBAR tool. I also failed to give the patient any pain medication or nebulizers.

All these seem too many mistakes for a single procedure. However, they were not intentional. I experienced a technical challenge with my computer, as it was responding too slowly even though I am using windows 10, which is incompatible with the OMS even though it is ten years older. With the limitation in time and the difficulty of point the cursor to where I wanted, I missed out on specific critical interventions and procedures as recorded above. I attempted the training for ten more times, but with the technical difficulties, I could not get any better result.

What Went Well

Apart from the setbacks, I was able to accomplish certain tasks effectively. I introduced myself appropriately to the patient, conducted hand hygiene, as well as ascertained the patients' medical records. I effectively utilized electronic medical records, as well as inquired from the patient about his medical history. Among the questions is asked from the patient included his allergy status, smoking history, questions about other body systems, as well as correctly recorded his oxygen concentration through an EWS score. I performed these tasks excellently because, under a typical setting, these are activities that I would have done anytime I entered a patient's room. I was, therefore, conversant was most of these requirements.

What I Would Do Differently To Improve

The task has highlighted certain areas that needed improvements. One of the things I would do differently would be to prioritize which procedures I would do before others, and how I would do them. For example, one of the worst things I did was over-oxygenate the patient above the 88-92% mark. Instead, I should have assessed the patient's oxygen concentration first instead of simply putting the face mask on him. Critical thinking skills are also essential, and given another chance, I would vastly utilize this tool for better results.

Decision - Making Process, Clinical Judgment, and Critical Thinking Skills Used

The most crucial task of a nurse or physician is to create a relationship with the patient that will facilitate care. With this in mind, I ensured I had introduced myself well to the patient as a way of building a rapport with him, and by doing this, I created an environment that permeated trust from the patient. Hand hygiene on the other and is a standard patient safety method and one recommended for every clinical practice. By cleaning my hands, I was guaranteeing patient safety, as well as protecting myself from possible risks. Utilizing the patient's history is also critical as it provides clues and diagnostics that help in the formulation of an intervention. I decide to use various sources, and these included the electronic medical records as well as inquiring from the patient as a means of establishing consistency and accuracy regarding the information provided. The patient exhibited COPD, and this made his susceptible to hypoxia. I therefore calculated the oxygen concentration to ascertain this, and then administered oxygen. I kept the concentration constant, and this was aided by the use of nasal cannula. This however proved inefficient, since, from the patient's ABG, he had already sustained type 2 respiratory failure. Therefore, I should have titrated the oxygen down after setting the standard 92% to avoid the retention or deterioration of pH any further.

A Comparison Between the Virtual Experiences to Face to Face

The typical setting for any nursing practice has been the face to face interaction with the patient. As a nursing student, this is the same environment I have been exposed to as opposed to the virtual simulation as a way of clinical intervention. The face to face interaction with the patients has been practical on my side as it allows for the creation of a rapport with the patients as i get to know their needs and concerns as well as building my confidence as a caregiver. As a traditional setting, the face to face interaction is well understood, and therefore, it is easier to apply all skills learned in class. As a result, this traditional setting has enabled me to advance my skills and competent ices more so regarding offering quality care to my patients. I, however, came across the virtual simulation tool after three weeks as a nursing student, and this tool proved efficient in offering care to patients.

The overly stated advantages of face to face interaction with the patient do not nullify the equally beneficial tool that virtual simulation creates for clinical contexts. Virtual simulation allows me to care for my patient without being there physically. My first experience at using this tool was challenging for me, more so regarding adapting to tis new technique that is in every way different from the way I was used to. However, after a few trials, I found it very useful. The virtual simulation tool provides an opportunity for a nurse to employ critical thinking skills as they offer interventions to the patient as it exposes the nursing student to numerous scenarios without having to interact with the patients physically. The virtual simulation compares favorably to the face to face interaction in terms of its time-saving element. It is, therefore, faster. However, the face to face interactions develop communication skills, create meaningful interactions between the patient and the nurse. It allows the student to listen, comprehend, reflect and appropriately respond to the patient's needs.

I cannot neglect the influence and benefit that virtual simulation has had on my career as a nursing student. This technology allows for numerous second chances where, as a student, I can recognize my errors and rectify them, and take a challenge more than once until I get better at doing it. I would recommend virtual simulation to any nurse, and I intend to incorporate it in my practice as a nurse.