Assignment Task
This assessment is designed to assess your knowledge regarding the nursing care of the patient requiring emergency care in an isolated practice context.
In this assessment you will review the case of a patient who requires emergency care in an isolated practice community context.
Context
The role of the registered nurse in isolated practice contexts is vast. They require knowledge of primary health care skills such as health promotion and vaccination, chronic disease management strategies and responding to emergency situations such as the trauma, poisoning or acute illnesses. The nurse working in isolated practice context is often working under low supervision and in circumstances where human and physical resources are limited. The nurse needs to be able to make clinical decision quickly and effectively and work closely with and care for people they live and work.
The questions in this case study were developed to assist you to apply your knowledge and skills to provide emergency or primary care in an unpredictable versus a predictable resource rich health environment. This includes being able to identify early signs of deterioration, communicate effectively with the interprofessional and non-professional team. An important tool for the registered nurse in this context is to refine their ability to regularly reflect on their professional practice to ensure that they are delivering a quality evidence-based health care product to the regional, rural or remote Australian community.
Instructions
To complete this assessment read the following instructions and undertake the activity. Answer a series of short answer questions based on the analysis of the information provided in the case study. Read the case study of Michael attached under Assessment 3 information section and answer the following questions. When answering questions associated with the case study, reflect on your previous experiences where you may have cared for an individual experiencing an emergency situation that is deteriorating. Use 10+ academic, peer reviewed resources to support your discussion.
- What are the signs and symptoms that Michael is deteriorating?
- What could be the potential cause of his deterioration? Describe the pathophysiology of septicaemia?
- What are your immediate nursing responsibilities in this situation? Provide reasons for your plan of action.
- What communication strategies must be implemented so that you, the only registered nurse currently available in the community, can communicate effectively with Michael, his family, the medical officer, the retrieval team and the wider community?
- Michael’s wife is employed at the centre and someone you regularly communicate with both professionally and in the community, what challenges does this bring to the care you deliver.
- What strategies would you implement during the emergency and post the emergency to maintain professional and personal safety?