This assessment requires you to use knowledge gained from your Inquiry units to date and to identify and critically analyse your chosen scenario within practice, ethical and legal context; outline how you would respond to the issues presented by the scenario, and identify at least two the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) standards developed for use by all health service organisations within Australia (Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, 2012) that relate the scenario chosen. Use best practice evidence to outline your reasoning.
There are 6 key parts to this task that are required to address. It is essential that you incorporate evidence based literature and research to support your work:
1. An introduction and conclusion(150-250 words)
2. Identify the practice issues in the scenario. What tools for ensuring patient safety were used or not used? (200-300 words)
3. Identify the ethical issues legal implications presented by the scenario. What ethical principle(s) were upheld or violated? What is the legislation that relates to the scenario? (300-400 words)
4. Identify what action you would take in response to the scenario to ensure safe practice aiming for a favourable patient outcome (100-200 words)
5. Identify at least one National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) standards that relate to the scenario and outline its significance to practice (200 words)
6. Presentation. Overall presentation reflects accepted academic conventions
Chose one of the following two case studies:
Reflections of senior student Registered Nursing students.
Case Study One:
‘On one occasion I happened to be working with an agency nurse on a morning shift and we were notified by the coordinator that one of our patients was being discharged to a nursing home early that morning. My nurse buddy and I ensured all our other patents had been seen/attended to in order for us to have more time to organise and prepare our patient for discharged. According to our patients care plan there were only two simple dressings that needed attending post bed wash-unfortunately we discovered in fact that this patient had seven pressure sores, however this had not been identified or documented. This subsequently resulted in a delay in the transference and discharge process as well potentially impacting the patients' quality of care'
Case Study Two:
‘I was assigned to a patient in an orange carded room in the acute care ward. My mentor had taught me that I was supposed to follow all the precautions for an orange carded room before entering. However, I noticed that my mentor and other health professionals such as doctors and nurses were entering the room without following any precautions. I also noticed that the patient was coming out of the room and visiting other patients in the ward. I asked my mentor about this situation and she told me that the patient did not have an infection; he just had vancomycin resistance.'
Case Study Three
‘The surgical/medical ward experience was initially overwhelming but enjoyable. I particularly enjoyed it because all nurses I worked with made sure they adhered to the 10 NSQHS Standards. Safety and quality are integrated in daily activities. Each clinical personnel has a clear sense of roles, duties and responsibility which leads to them maximising the use of best practice standards which benefit them as well as their patient (Brennan & Flynn, 2013). Everyone's commitment to work meant that they took accreditation and the Standards seriously, which translated to having a safe working environment as well as a safe recuperating environment for patients with an effective and quality care being delivered to them. It appears that satisfaction and safety between client and staff are essentially linked (Maddock, Kralik& Smith, 2006). Several factors affect staff and client safety: "staff stress, low staff and client morale, compromised workforce planning, client or staff sleep loss and deprivation, challenging behaviours of clients or significant others" (Maddock, Kralik& Smith, 2006 p.205). Good clinical governance addresses this and mitigates these factors, as it fosters a safe and inspiring culture for the staff to operate in (Birk, 2011). Job satisfaction and performance are often linked (Abekah-Nkrumah &Atinga, 2013). I have always believed that happy employees are more productive - they do their job well and this translates across to everything they do.'