Working as a
nurse speaks volumes about you in the sense that it says you care about people
and want to help them. That being said,
all nurses have different personalities, and different methods of caring for
their patients. Some nurses may be very
nurturing, while other nurses, although good at their job, may not display that
nurturing side as often. It does not
indicate one way is wrong, or one way is necessarily better than the other,
they are just different. With physicians
it's often referred to as “bedside” manner, and the same could be said true of
nurses, as not everyone offers the same level of compassion to the patient. That in itself is not a mistake, providing
the patient is receiving proper care and not being treated in a disrespectful
manner.
A medical mistake should be covered
extensively in your nursing trainings, as well as your medical facility
orientation and ongoing trainings. If
you have any question as to whether something you observed was in fact a
medical mistake, bring it to the attention of your supervisor or Human Resource
department, and never let it go. If
there is the slightest question in your mind, then it needs to be
addressed.
Situations
to Observe Closely
There is a
very fine line when it comes to the care of patients, and as a nurse, you are
expected to walk and watch that line.
It’s a balancing act so to speak, you need to show compassion and
concern without conveying the message that you are overly involved with your
patient. The patient needs to see you as
their nurse and care provider first, and a person that cares about them
second. Some situations with family
members or your co-workers may require an intervention on your part. In the event something seems slightly off
where the patient care is involved, providing the patient is not being abused
or in danger, you can be observant and pay extra attention to the area you are
concerned over.
Say a patient
doesn't get their bed linens changed as quickly as they should be, that
requires attention, but not necessarily a write up to a supervisor. Talk with the co-worker responsible, one time
and remind them of the importance of their job.
Should the same thing occur a second time, then it should be brought to
the attention of a supervisor. Should
you ever observe a co-worker, or anyone in your medical facility mistreat the
patient, verbally, physically, or mentally, it should be reported instantly, it
is your job to do so. Many states
designate nurses as mandated reporters, but regardless if your state requires
that, it is the right, and only thing to do.
Family
of patients
When it comes
to family members, it's not uncommon to see a multitude of interactions. Many family members may do too much for your
patient, and prevent the patient from doing what they can to care for
themselves. That is not good for the
patient, but it's not a form of abuse or mistreatment either. Family members that are caring for a loved one
may be full of a wide range of emotions.
Guilt, anger, sadness, and grief are common emotions when a loved one is
very ill and needs constant care. The
family may be emotionally drained, and physically exhausted, which at some
point could take its toll on them.
Suppose you went to work one day to care for your patient, and as you
walk up you the first thing you observe is the family member being rough with
the patient or actually hitting them. Do
you understand that the caregiver is tiring?
Of course you do. Do you step in
and report their actions? Absolutely,
it’s not your job to determine if that person had a one time lapse in judgment;
it is your job to put the patient's best interest first, regardless of anything
else.
Co-workers
As you work to
develop a good rapport with your co-workers, as you should, it's important to
be a team player. Everything seems to be
great in your department, you are friends with co-workers and you could not ask
for a more pleasant work environment.
Then one day something happens that you observe. A coworker is mistreating a patient. This could put you in a very bad predicament,
of course you hate to report your coworker, but it is what you absolutely have
to do. Think of the repercussions if you
did not. Suppose the coworker explains
it was a one time lapse in judgment, it will never happen again, and they are
extremely sorry. So just this one time,
you look the other way. 3 days later you
learn this patient has passed away, and there are some unanswered questions
about their passing. Aside from the fact
that it is morally right, and your responsibility as a nurse to report
inappropriate care of a patient, the legal repercussions could end your career
as well. The hospital could face a lawsuit;
the list goes on and on. Of course that
would be a worse case scenario, but you get the point.
As a nurse you
are going to have bad days with the good.
You are going to get tired, stressed, and just be in a bad mood. Take a break if you need to, talk to someone
about your problems, however, and don’t take it out on the patient. The patient looks to you as the nurse for
care, compassion, and potentially a cure for their ailment. They are most likely going to take it personally
if you take your bad mood out on them.
Try to stick to the rule of leaving your bad mood at the door of the
patient's room, don’t let them see it.
In the event that you are aware of a medical mistake, make sure it is
reported to the appropriate people only.
Do not discuss it with the patient's family or even the patient
themselves. The person you report it to
will assign the appropriate personnel to approach the patient and their
family. There are strict rules and
guidelines in cases such as this, so it's very important that you follow the
protocol.
Superiors
and Supervisors
You look to
your supervisor for direction, support, instructions, and a general turn to
person when you need something at work.
In the unlikely event that you noticed your supervisor taking short
cuts, or ignoring the medical needs of the patients, it then becomes your
responsibility to report this situation to either a higher authority, or your
Human Resource department. The best
thing you can do is to transfer this “problem” over to a higher authority.
Repercussions
of Not Speaking Up
There are a
number of consequences that can occur when a nurse observes an incident that
needs to be reported, and opts not to do so.
Loss of life would obviously be number one, with lawsuits and loss of
licenses to follow. There are many jobs
a nurse is responsible for, and reporting a mistake or inappropriate action
with a patient is also your job and should be taken seriously.
It
can be an extremely difficult situation when you are faced with speaking up
regarding a medical error that occurred with a patient. No one wants to be viewed as a “tattle tale”
per say, however a patient and a medical error do not fall into that category,
and it is an obligation of anyone that observes a medical mistake to report
it. Most nurses love their jobs, and the
good they provide to their patients. You
anticipate years of devoted nursing service, however, one incident of not reporting
an incident could cost you your nursing license and end your career.
The above
discussion basically pertains to the nurse and care providers. What can happen as a result of their actions,
or lack thereof? Now it's time to
consider an incident from the patient's perspective. A sick patient lying in a bed, assuming any and
all medical care that they are receiving is appropriate. In the event of that not being the case, the
patient could suffer physically and mentally as well. It would not take much for a patient to lose
confidence in their health care team, which could result in lack of care for
the patient. The patients put their
trust in doctors and nurses, and it is vital that their trust be taken
seriously, they count on it. A patient
may not even know a mistake was made in their care, so it is up to the staff
working with them to speak for them.
It is assumed
that if you work in the medical profession in any capacity, you care about your
patients. A mistake can happen
regardless of what profession you are in, the difference is, a medical mistake
can prove fatal or very serious for the patient. Consider the patient, consider the law,
consider the consequences of not reporting and incident, and consider your
license and career.
Related: Accredited Nurse, Lindsay M. Kreps,
RN, BSN, Will Be Featured in the Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare
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