Read The Scenario And Address The Discussion Question 882291
Read The Scenario And Address The Discussion Questions
Read the scenario and address the discussion question: Scenario You are a member of an interdisciplinary team participating in patient rounds at the start of your shift. You notice the physician charting that the patient is alert and oriented x3, but the patient was clearly confused, which the physician acknowledged during rounds. Discussion Question How would you approach this scenario? Apply one of the ethical principles discussed in Dynamics of Nursing: Art and Science of Professional Practice to this scenario. Discuss how organizational culture can help manage errors. Please do not provide so much research and instead, support the research, by using your own analysis and examples. How can you tie what you are writing into clinical examples you and your RN team face each day? Initial discussion question posts should be a minimum of 200 words and include at least two references cited using APA format. American Association of Colleges of Nursing Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education This assignment aligns to AACN Core Competencies 5.2, 6.2, 6.4, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3.
Paper For Above instruction
In clinical practice, nurses frequently encounter situations where discrepancies between documentation and actual patient status can significantly impact patient safety and care quality. The scenario presented — where a physician charts a patient as alert and oriented x3, yet the patient is observed to be confused — underscores the critical importance of vigilance, clear communication, and ethical awareness among healthcare team members.
Approaching this scenario requires sensitivity and a commitment to patient safety. As an interdisciplinary team member, I would first verify my own assessment by objectively observing the patient's current mental status, ensuring I accurately identify confusion. I would then respectfully communicate my findings during team rounds, highlighting the discrepancy between the charted data and my assessment. For example, I might say, "I noticed the patient appears confused today, which seems inconsistent with the charted alert and oriented status." This approach emphasizes the importance of open dialogue rooted in professionalism and care, rather than confrontation.
Applying the ethical principle of veracity—truthfulness and honesty—can guide this situation. Veracity obligates healthcare professionals to provide accurate information to ensure safe and effective patient care (Butts & Rich, 2019). In this context, honesty about the patient's mental status allows the team to reassess the patient's condition, potentially leading to necessary interventions and preventing adverse outcomes, such as falls or delirium escalation.
Organizational culture plays a pivotal role in managing errors related to documentation and patient assessments. A culture that promotes transparency and non-punitive responses encourages team members to speak up about discrepancies without fear of blame. For example, institutions that implement incident reporting systems and foster open communication channels help ensure errors or oversights are identified and addressed promptly. Such a culture supports continuous learning and improvement, ultimately enhancing patient safety.
In daily clinical practice, this principle manifests when nurses notice a change in a patient’s condition but hesitate to report it due to fear of blame. An organizational environment that encourages reporting without punishment enables timely interventions, reducing errors and improving outcomes. For instance, my team has benefited from regular debriefings where we discuss near-misses openly, learning from mistakes and strengthening our practice.
In conclusion, approaching discrepancies in patient assessments with honesty and open communication, guided by ethical principles like veracity, is essential in safeguarding patient well-being. Organizational cultures that value transparency and continuous improvement enable healthcare providers to effectively manage errors, fostering safer and more reliable care.
References
Butts, J. B., & Rich, K. L. (2019). Professional nursing: Concepts & challenges (9th ed.). Pearson.
Joint Commission. (2020). Speak Up for Safety: The Joint Commission's patient safety program. https://www.jointcommission.org/resources/news-and-mublications/newsletters/newsletters/advancing-patient-safety/august-2020/speak-up-for-safety/
Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership. Jossey-Bass.
Wachter, R. M. (2011). Patient safety: How to improve disclosure and apologize when things go wrong. BMJ Quality & Safety, 20(4), 267-270.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretative statements. ANA.
Weick, K. E., & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2007). Managing the unexpected: Resilient performance in an age of uncertainty. Jossey-Bass.