Critical Reflection on Managing a Patient with Shortness of Breath

Running head: CRITICAL REFLECTION
CRITICAL REFLECTION
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CRITICAL REFLECTION1
Description
Reflective writing is considered as a critical learning tool that integrates practical
skills and theory in order to encourage learning (Levett, 2017). This essay will highlight my
experience as a leadship nurse for the management and treatment of the deteriorating patient,
Freda Barnett, 62-years-old women. I was appointed to conduct integrated patient care by
developing a treatment plan, gathering and assessing the result of the treatment and also
manage the patient by appropriately implementing the evidence-based clinical practice
(Pisani et al., 2018). The patient was suffering from shortness of breath associated with cough
and lethargy; hence, I was accountable for ensuring that the patient is receiving safe and
effective care within the safety protocol and standards. As the patient was old and was
experiencing extreme breathing difficulty, I had to appropriately prioritise the nursing care
that would be suitable for the patient and make sure that the documentation was accurately
noted and was conveyed to the other nurses who were assessing the patient in different shift
(Barawid et al., 2015).
Feeling
I was very stressed and nervous at the same time because I had a huge responsibility
of taking appropriate care of the patient as well develop the therapeutic relationship with the
patient so that she could easily communicate her apprehensions with me. When I was
appointed for managing the patient, I was quite anxious as I have never handled any patient
with breathing difficulty. Although I had a clear idea of the steps that I need to perform for
effective patient management. After I met the patient, I was quite relieved as the patient was
supportive, and it was easy to develop a therapeutic relationship with her. I took assistance
from the senior doctor’s regarding the management and the systematic assessment of the
patient because it was my responsibility to asses her vital signs and accordingly reported to

CRITICAL REFLECTION2
the assigned specialist who was managing the condition of Freda. Hence, the current thoughts
and feelings regarding this case management had helped me to develop more knowledge and
understanding of managing the patient with breathing difficulty and performing the ABCDE
assessment.
Evaluation
Being a leadership nurse, I had faced some facilitators as well as barriers in assessing
the patient. The major barrier that I experienced was that the patient was old and was unable
to elaborate on the essential findings that she had observed like her sputum colour, which was
significant for understanding the severity of illness. Though, the situation was resolved
afterwards because I had performed a complete ABCDE systematic assessment for the patient
in order to understand the severity or complexity of the health condition (Feneley, Clarke &
Goldsack, 2017). The assessment had helped me to understand the diagnosis method of the
patient and what improvement steps should be followed for patient recovery. I was successful
in developing a therapeutic association with the patient, which had helped me to
communicate with her and understand her daily activities of life and accordingly identify the
areas of improvement.
According to Banzett & Moosavi (2017), dyspnea or shortness of breath is considered
as the multidimensional sensation, which comprises of unpleasant and painful respiratory
sensations that reduce the patients’ quality of life. Hence, it is essential for the nurse to
develop a therapeutic association and understand the respiratory sensation and the factors
which are responsible for the condition and aim to improve the patient’s quality of life. While
assessing the patient, factors like confidence, anxiety, lack of adequate experience and
knowledge had influenced my activity of documentation and problem-solving skills and also
affected my clinical decisions. According to Baker, DeSanto & Banzett (2017), shortness of