Reflection on Standards of the National Safety and Quality Health Service

This reflective essay discusses the author's experience in a cardiac ward and reflects on the two standards of the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) - preventing healthcare-associated infections and effective communication for safety. The essay uses the Gibbs Reflective cycle and highlights the importance of communication in nursing practice. The author also shares an action plan for future practice.

Running head: REFLECTION ON STANDARDS OF THE NATIONAL SAFETY AND
QUALITY HEALTH SERVICE 1
REFLECTION ON STANDARDS OF THE NATIONAL SAFETY AND QUALITY HEALTH
SERVICE

REFLECTION ON STANDARDS OF THE NATIONAL SAFETY AND QUALITY HEALTH
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Introduction
The essay is a reflection of the clinical experience as a registered nurse. It is a reflection of the
two standards of the National Safety and Quality Health Service. In this reflective essay, I will
use the Gibbs Reflective cycle which helps practitioners think well of all activities done in the
clinical practice. Gibbs reflective cycle is very unique because it has six stages that help
practitioners in reflection (Husebø, O'Regan & Nestel, 2015).
The standards that I am reflecting on are the standards number three which involves preventing
and controlling of healthcare-associated infection through use of antimicrobials and prescribing,
and six which concern the effective communication for safety between the patients, their
families, carers, clinicians as well as multidisciplinary teams (Gardner, G., Gardner, A., &
O'connell, 2014). It encompasses the reflection based on my five weeks of clinical practice in the
cardiac ward of healthcare where I worked as a Registered Nurse.
Description
During my stay in a cardiac ward in the healthcare facility, I worked under a mentor. My buddy
nurse was a senior registered nurse in the facility. He allocates me to take care of a patient who
was a lady, but the name of the patient will be kept in privacy as per the regulations of the
(Nurses and Midwifery Board Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2017). For that purpose, the
client's name will be Mrs X. She was suffering had complications of short breath which led to
cardiac arrest.
During one of the das in the ward, I could see that the patient was breathing fast and almost
puffing. When I tried to approach the patient, she was unable to communicate in full sentences. I

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decided to come close and stay with the patient and assure her of safety because she looked be
having a weakness.
After some minutes I found that the patient's condition was worsening, so I rushed and called
the registered nurse and also informed the nursing unit on the situation and even the members of
the multidisciplinary team. During all these events I was recording the progress of the client on
the progress note. The members of the multi-disciplinary team suggested that the patient is
transferred to another ward because they thought that she might be having an internal infection.
It was a precautionary measure to prevent her from infecting other patients with the disease. The
short breath may be associated with infections such as asthma, pulmonary oedema which may be
attributed to the failure of the left ventricular, or chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases,
pneumonia and others (Banach, Bearman, Morgan & Munoz-Price, 2015). I ensured that the
patient was getting sufficient care during the processes to control the short breath and cardiac
infections.
Feeling
I felt very much concerned about the condition of the patient. Since it was my first time to
encounter such a situation in my nursing practice, I found that it was wise to seek guidance from
my mentor and the multi/disciplinary team in the nursing unit. Since infections associated with
breathing might be dangerous and also communicable to other patients, I saw it was risky to keep
the patient together with the others.
Evaluation

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The attention that was given to the patient by the nursing unit and also the multidisciplinary team
was very professional. They were very empathetic to the patient. Their communication with the
patient and the relatives and even between the members of the group was efficient. The perfected
the offering of person-centred care to the patient.
Analysis
The placement was the best I ever had because it gave me the opportunity to work under the two
of the NSQHS standards for the prevention of infections and also to enhance effective
communication. I found that communication was very vital in the nursing practice while
handling patients.
Conclusion
My nursing practice was beneficial for my field. It helped me perfect the theory I had learnt in
class and gave me the opportunity to integrate it with the practical part of what I had
discovered. . I felt that I keep on reviewing the NSQHS standards so as enhance my
professionalism and also to contact my majors in things that I don’t have experience on.
Action Plan
I thought that it was wise that in future I will be asking my majors on the clinical practice on the
issues that were not experienced with. The SMART analogy will be the best strategy and
technique that I will be using in the future to assess the achievement, manage my time and
measure my goals. This strategy helps in setting specific, attainable, and reliable and time framed
approaches to realise objectives and goals (Educational Business, 2016).

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References
Banach, D. B., Bearman, G. M., Morgan, D. J., & Munoz-Price, L. S. (2015). Infection control
precautions for visitors to healthcare facilities.
Educational Business, (2016). Setting SMART Goals for Your Team: The fast and Effective
Method. Retrieved August 10, 2018. From http://www.educational-business-
articles.com/setting-smart-goals/
Gardner, G., Gardner, A., & O'connell, J. (2014). Using the D onabedian framework to examine
the quality and safety of nursing service innovation. Journal of clinical nursing, 23(1-2),
145-155.
Husebø, S. E., O'Regan, S., & Nestel, D. (2015). Reflective practice and its role in simulation.
Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 11(8), 368-375. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecns.2015.04.005
Nursing and Midwifery Council (Great Britain). (2017). Nursing and Midwifery Council Annual
Report and Accounts 2016-2017 and Strategic Plan 2017-2018. Dandy Booksellers
Limited. DOI: 10.7748/nm.2018.e1765