Foundation of Nursing Practice

Running head: FOUNDATION OF NURSING PRACTICE
FOUNDATION OF NURSING PRACTICE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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FOUNDATION OF NURSING PRACTICE
Introduction
Reflective essay is the process which helps the nursing students to clarify their thoughts,
understand the value of aspects associated to their practice and figure out the areas of work
which requires further practice (Bulman & Schutz 2013). In this reflective assignment, I will be
using Gibb’s reflective cycle to critically analyze an infection control related situation which I
experience during my clinical placement in the cardiovascular ward of the healthcare facility. As
it is a reflective writing, patients name and personal information will be kept confidential
(Caldwell, 2013).
Description of event
As per the World Health Organization (2018), infection control as well as prevention is
the aspect which should be maintained within healthcare facilities so that a safe and secured
environment for patients could be sustained and the risk of potential spreading of disease could
be reduced. During my clinical placement, I was placed in the cardio vascular unit of the
healthcare facility, where a 72 year old patient Mr. A (to maintain confidentiality) was admitted
and I was present in that ward to assist the RN, taking care of the patient. I observed each action
taken by the RN while the care process, especially regarding infection control as all the measures
required to minimize the risk of infection was followed by the RN. The patient had a deep wound
in his right ankle due to his fall while suffering from myocardial infarction and the infection
control measures taken by the RN while caring for the wound was the reason I chosen this topic
for my reflection. Witnessing the infection control measures in my clinical placement was

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FOUNDATION OF NURSING PRACTICE
different from my theoretical knowledge as I was able to see and practice interventions on my
own to the patient and hence, I am reflecting on this situation.
Clinical Factors that influence the delivery of care
There are several factors that could be counted as the reason for such implementation of
infection control measure such as resources, training, staff and patient factors (Lobach et al.,
2012). The RN in the ward caring for Mr. A used to follow all the hygiene and infection control
measures while taking patient report, providing medication, cleaning the wound and dressing
measures so that the patient could be prevented from hospital acquired infections (Friedberg et
al., 2013). She also provided me with training about hand hygiene, and provided me with
training so that I could also comply with the infection control measures.
Feelings, emotions and thoughts I experience
During the practice of preventing infection in the cardio-vascular using I felt excited
because I was able to take care of the wound infections as per my theoretical and practical
knowledge I received during my nursing education. However, receiving training and educational
sessions from the RNs of a professional healthcare facility is an important aspect which would
help me in my future nursing career so that I could use my knowledge to deliver care to the
society (Lee et al., 2013). I felt that as healthcare professionals, it is our duty to take complete
care of the patients and prevent their risk of infections, and decrease their hospital stays so that
they can return to their home. However, it has been seen that due to non-effective measures for
infection control more than 30% of the patients acquire nosocomial infections that affect their