Clinical Integration in Aged Care

This assignment delves into two crucial aspects of aged care: manual handling and information sharing. It highlights the risks associated with manual handling tasks for both nurses and elderly patients, emphasizing the need for proper training and equipment. The document also discusses the importance of including carers in patient information discussions, addressing the ethical and legal considerations involved while underscoring the benefits of such inclusion.

Running head: CLINICAL INTEGRATION SPECIALITY PRACTICE
Clinical integration in aged care
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1CLINICAL INTEGRATION SPECIALITY PRACTICE
Module 1
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2013), the proportion of population
aged above 65 years is estimated to increase to 5.8 million by the year 2031 (Abs.gov.au, 2017).
Aged care specialties in hospitals aim to assess the needs of old and frail people. The registered
nurses (RN) are involved in improving the wellbeing and health of frail old patients by
delivering high quality services. RNs play a vital role in residential aged care services by
monitoring and delivering evidence-based practices for quality improvement of their clients.
Registered nurses and their aged clients are particularly susceptible to manual handling injuries.
Nurses are involved in patient handling tasks that increase their susceptibility to musculoskeletal
disorders such as back pain. Manual handling operations involve supporting or moving patients
by providing bodily effort. Handling patients includes the use of a force to push, lift, pull, carry,
lower, move or support the concerned client (Trinkoff et al., 2008). Musculoskeletal injuries
related to manual handling tasks that involve high risks such as adjusting beds, moving patient
trolleys or lifting people are a major safety concern.
The risks of injuries related to handling of patients get increased when the registered
nurses are made to perform duties in which they have not received adequate training. Data from
studies suggest that musculoskeletal disorders arising due to inappropriate handling of patients
lead to disc degeneration. Tasks that require sudden nonneutral posture movements predispose
RNs to risks of back injuries. Transfer of patients often requires rotation, flexion and shear forces
that lead to back pain and fracture among the frail old patients. Maintaining body posture for a
prolonged period of time during manual handling, lead to the occurrence of shoulder and back
pain among both the clients and their caregivers (Oakman, Macdonald & Wells, 2014). Failure to

2CLINICAL INTEGRATION SPECIALITY PRACTICE
lift patients safely is responsible for fall related injuries and death. Pushing or pulling patient
trolleys are associated with shoulder injuries. On the other hand, nurses suffer from arm and neck
injuries when they are involved in stooping or lifting patients. Elderly patients often face safety
threat during toileting. It is often done without any assistance and involves a number of
manoeuvres and lifts (Kay, Evans & Glass, 2015).
Therefore, it can be said that the safety and health status of a patients and registered
nurses can be protected only by providing proper manual handling training to the staff and by
supplying lifting equipments such as slings, handling belts, slide sheets, transfer boards and
hoists to ensure safety of the staff and the patients.

3CLINICAL INTEGRATION SPECIALITY PRACTICE
Module 2
Sharing of healthcare related information is crucial to the wellbeing of both the carers as
well as their patients. If the carers are not included while taking important decisions involving
their clients, serious personal, practical and financial consequences can arise for both of them.
The carers often know their patient and act as a source of constant emotional support. However,
there are certain barriers to the process of sharing information. Professionals who are involved in
patient care need to follow their duty of abiding by the professional codes of law, practice and
statute related to confidentiality (Treasure & Todd, 2016). Carers belonging to the mental wards
do not receive adequate training to deal with confidentiality related complex issues. They fail to
address the specific needs of their clients and lack confidence. It is a matter of worry for some
professionals that if carers are involved more while discussing patient information, they may not
have sufficient time to provide holistic care to their patients. All carers are required to keep
patient information confidential. There are several privacy laws that cover access to patient
records and allow sharing of related information only for the purpose of providing care (Herring,
2007).
These laws permit disclosing patient health information while finding missing person, to
campaign for funding, under a court warrant or to prevent imminent threat. Carers can breach
these privacy terms and can give rise to complexities. The most essential issue in this respect is
patient agreement on information disclosure to the carer. Many carers and their clients are
unaware of this (Wilson et al., 2015). They fail to realize that prior consent from a patient must
be taken before sharing any relevant health information. Complexities arise when the patient
suffers from dementia or other acute episodes and is unable to provide informed consent.

4CLINICAL INTEGRATION SPECIALITY PRACTICE
Another condition that acts as a barrier is when the carers first notice changes or abnormalities in
the sleep patterns of their patients. The changes may not be realized by the client themselves.
Hence, they may not want to contact any professional in such situations and may interpret the
action of their carers as a breach of confidentiality and trust (Hattingh et al., 2015).
Thus, it can be stated that although carer wellbeing can improve greatly by including
them in the team while sharing patient information, there are certain legal and ethical obligations
that bind the professionals working in healthcare sector and prevent any breach of conduct of
patient confidentiality.

5CLINICAL INTEGRATION SPECIALITY PRACTICE
References
Abs.gov.au. (2017). 3101.0 - Australian Demographic Statistics, Jun 2013. Abs.gov.au.
Retrieved 11 October 2017, from
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opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=3101.0&issue=Jun
%202013&num=&view=
Hattingh, H. L., Knox, K., Fejzic, J., McConnell, D., Fowler, J. L., Mey, A., ... & Wheeler, A. J.
(2015). Privacy and confidentiality: perspectives of mental health consumers and carers
in pharmacy settings. International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 23(1), 52-60.
Herring, J. (2007). Where are the carers in healthcare law and ethics?. Legal Studies, 27(1), 51-
73.
Kay, K., Evans, A., & Glass, N. (2015). Moments of speaking and silencing: Nurses share their
experiences of manual handling in healthcare. Collegian, 22(1), 61-70.
Oakman, J., Macdonald, W., & Wells, Y. (2014). Developing a comprehensive approach to risk
management of musculoskeletal disorders in non-nursing health care sector
employees. Applied ergonomics, 45(6), 1634-1640.
Treasure, J., & Todd, G. (2016). Interpersonal maintaining factors in eating disorder: Skill
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Eating Disorders(pp. 125-137). Springer International Publishing.

6CLINICAL INTEGRATION SPECIALITY PRACTICE
Trinkoff, A. M., Geiger-Brown, J. M., Caruso, C. C., Lipscomb, J. A., Johantgen, M., Nelson, A.
L., ... & Selby, V. L. (2008). Personal safety for nurses.
Wilson, L. S., Pillay, D., Kelly, B. D., & Casey, P. (2015). Mental health professionals and
information sharing: carer perspectives. Irish Journal of Medical Science (1971-), 184(4),
781-790.