Reflective Essay Example on a Patient Interview

The New Collins International Dictionary defines reflection as the state of reviewing and quiet analysis of the occurrence of a given event. Following the techniques and models of reflection highlighted in () enabled me to write a personal account on the examination of a wound that was carried out during one of my general practice sessions under the supervision of a professional mentor. From the patient's brief description and health history, the physical assessment was paramount in helping me reflect and highlight the feelings and thoughts the interview session provoked, its analysis and evaluation, as well as the conclusion drawn from the assessment and subsequently, my action plan.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The objective of the assessment was to learn and comprehend the basic techniques that are required in a physical examination and history-taking which embodies significant, time-honored skills of patient healing and quality care. The subject for the physical assessment was wound dressing, vital signs and pain management. An interview-based assessment is vital towards my set goals and objectives as it entails emphatic listening, evoking in a nurse the ability to interview and assess patients from different backgrounds, ages, and moods while showcasing various techniques of examining various body systems and the clinical reasoning process (Bickley & Szilagyi, 2013). During the course of the interview assessment, I recorded the patient's vital signs and presentations like respiration and pulse rate, temperature, and blood pressure on a clinical chart. It is in this process that I grasped the fact that patient assessment and history taking is not limited to just a patient's physical being but also entails values, social support networks, cultures, family support, as well as the ability of the individual to take care of themselves back at home. Though the assignment seemed insurmountable at first, I believe that the techniques learned in class should be integrated into patient assessment to provide a rather holistic approach (Wilson & Giddens, 2016). Moreover, the exercise reinforced and strengthened the skills I had previously acquired in class, expanding knowledge and understanding in areas that I had assessed less frequently such as wound area and depth.

The interview assessment is critical in future practice owing to the significant factors showcased as pertains to the holistic model of care. While I'll be taking into account the entire medical history of a patient in the process of assessing their health, it is paramount to ensure that the assessment skills of a practician are refined and reflected upon to the highest standards befitting patient needs because a nurse is the only care professional who is often close to the patient. I hope to be in a position to empathize with the patient, while educating the patient at the same time as I conduct my assessment to help create a connectedness with the patient, evoking patient trust and openness in responding to questions. As such, a nurse ought to render appropriate information and care to the patient through an integrative physical assessment of ones' medical history (Bickley & Szilagyi, 2013).

The text employed as a guide to the assessment will be immensely helpful in my future practice and an exceptional source of reference as it covers several areas that are more often than not assesses shallowly. Additionally, I'll be keener to improve in some areas of the assessment exercise by integrating the six domains of physical assessment namely ethical and professional practice, management of care, critical thinking, safe practice, technical skills and communication to effectively carry out the nursing procedure. For instance, I acknowledge the importance of critical thinking in patient assessment as it enables the practitioner to carefully plan the questions and the criteria of presenting them to the patient. I will employ a rather intellectual and disciplined approach in physical assessment by asking questions in a sensible and organized manner in readiness to think critically and carefully about the professional reasoning process that should be employed in effective patient assessment (Bickley & Szilagyi, 2013). Having tried to my best understanding to communicate efficiently through reassuring, empathizing and addressing her anxiety accordingly, the patient was able to provide relevant information and answer questions freely, without contradiction or hesitation. In that regard, it is paramount to apply intellectual skills in future for sound reasoning in the assessment process.

I also believe that it is of great importance to apply a higher level of professionalism and ethical standards in practice. This helps a nurse to maintain a confident and steady poise through the questioning process, allowing the patient to establish an emotional connection with the practitioner and trust that enables him to provide a detailed description of presenting and medical health history (Forbes & Watt, 2015).

Through the exercise, I was able to identify areas of improvement and techniques that can be used in future practice, helping me in the pursuit to improve my professional competencies, bringing my practical skills to a whole new level. The assessment presented me with experiences that are only vital in molding me, as a nurse, into a more reliable and trustworthy healthcare professional. I hope to apply the interview assessment techniques in future for a comprehensive health history through the integration of significant facets such as the chief complaint of the patient, the source of his data and history, present illnesses, past medical history, family, social and personal history in a bid to assess the patient from varied settings to help format my written record as well as the patient's story (Bickley & Szilagyi, 2013).

References

Bickley, L. S., & Szilagyi, P. G. (2013). Beginning the physical examination: general survey, vital signs, and pain. Bates' Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking, 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 119-134.

Forbes, H., & Watt, E. (2015). Jarvis's Physical Examination and Health Assessment. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Wilson, S. F., & Giddens, J. F. (2016). Health Assessment for Nursing Practice-E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences.