NURSE PRACTITIONER SITUATION



Communication and their Application to the Nurse Practitioner Situation

Communication and their Application to the Nurse Practitioner Situation

Introduction

Communication skills are necessary for all areas of advanced practice nursing. These skills are poorly addressed in undergraduate and graduate nursing education in general. Nurse practitioners report that components of interaction with patients such as openness, connection, and concern are essential to fostering interpersonal relationships from which personal and professional growth evolve (Wong, 2005, 15). These skills are not well addressed in the education of these practitioners. Evidence has shown that training for any learned skill is best achieved by using a mix of presentation of didactic content, students' application of the skill, and evaluative feedback.

Case Study 01

Stacy (actual name withheld to maintain confidentiality) the patient, is a twenty five year old female. She lives with her partner of five years. Stacy presented via the ultrasound scan department. The day prior to admission she had discovered that she was pregnant. The scan was requested by her general practitioner due to her previous history of an ectopic pregnancy four months prior. The scan confirmed that there was no evidence of an intra uterine gestation sac. Appearances suggested towards an extra uterine gestation sac adjacent to the right ovary containing an embryo of three millimetres in size with heart pulsations (Vitztum, Olney, 2004, 43). The conclusion of the scan showed there to be present an ectopic pregnancy in the right fallopian tube. Subsequently, Stacy was admitted as an emergency to a specialist gynaecology ward to which the writer was based. She was introduced to her nurse Sarah and the members of the team to which she was allocated. The ward uses a Sarah approach to nursing care to provide a consistency in the care given. Stacy was scheduled to have an emergency salpingectomy (removal of fallopian tube) to be preformed by laparoscopy under general anaesthetic which is the passing of an endoscope through the abdominal wall.

Sarah has chosen the nursing model used to plan Stacy's care was based on the Roper, Logan and Tierney Activities of Living Model. It is the model of use on the ward to provide a holistic approach to care (Vaughan, Subramanian, Busse, 2000, 43). This model was first published in 1980 as a result of a research project undertaken by Nancy Roper in 1976.

The initial assessment in collaboration with the patient on admission provides a baseline for future assessments enabling actual and potential problems to be identified. This involves collecting subjective data from Stacy. Sarah established with Stacy were: for Stacy to voice her feelings and show emotion. To reduce episodes of tearfulness. To assist in the achievement of these goals Stacy would be involved with the planning of her care with Sarah by ensuring that an understandable explanation of the operation was provided, Hughes (2002) states that information given to the patient per operatively can help reduce anxiety. To ensure Sarah goal was being achieved Stacy would be observed for signs of psychological ...