Reflection on Mental Health-Nursing

A reflection on a nurse's encounter with a schizophrenic patient and the lessons learned from the experience. Discusses the importance of reflection in nursing practice and the impact it can have on patient care.

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Reflection on Mental Health-Nursing
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Reflection on Mental Health-Nursing
A reflection is an essential tool in the field of medicine that every Nurse ought to
embrace. In this paper, I will categorically discuss how my reflection of an encounter with
schizophrenia patient who at times was reluctant to take his medication during my nursing
practicum has helped me hone further my experience in the field of medicine. In this particular
situation, I will use Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle to help me deduce the lessons I learned from this
encounter. (Barksby, Butcher, & Whysall, 2015, p.33) It does believe that by sharing my
encounter with others may also help them in their practice.
Importance of reflection
Reflection helps Nurses to identify mistakes they committed in the past & avoid
committing them again in the course of their profession. (Royal College of Nursing, 2012)
Description
There was a man aged fifty-three years who was schizophrenic. It was reported that he
had threatened to commit suicide on several occasions. After being examined & given
prescriptions, I was told to keenly observe him ensure that he took all the prescriptions as
required (Hoatson-Jones, 2016, p.21); at the right time & right dosage as we still observed his
condition before recommending him to be discharged. While attending to this client, I observed
that he was reluctant to take the prescriptions; he only did so after persuading him. I then took it
as my initiative to unmask what was wrong with him. I asked him why he was reluctant to take
the drugs upon which he revealed to me that he was not sick hence no need for medication
(Randall & Hill, 2012, p.14).

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I knew that at times schizophrenia patients are reluctant to take drugs (Greene et al,
2018, p.130). I, therefore, decided to review the prescription & maybe switch to injection which
is efficient to administer. I also made it my obligation to supervise him as he took the drugs in
which I succeeded. I, however, became worried when the time for discharging my client came. I
knew that he will not continue taking his dosage &that could negatively impact his recovery.
One of his family members disclosed to me that my client has declined to take oral drugs on
several occasions hence they were worried whether he will ever recover. Since we could do
nothing about the prescription, I had to work out on the best way my client can be given his oral
pills without objection. I discovered that my client was fond of taking porridge. We would grind
the tablets & put the powder into the porridge which worked out well for me.
Feeling
At first, I was very pessimistic about my client’s recovery especially after noticing that he
would at times abandon taking his dosage. I was so hopeless to a point that I almost pleaded to
be shifted to another ward, (Foster et al, 2015, p.515). However, with time I noticed that these
are cases I am going to handle for most of my life hence I had to look for solution soonest
possible. I, therefore, tried the recommendations of Shuler (2014, p.701) to administer the drugs
personally. Nonetheless, I came into terms with myself after considering the client can also skip
the injections if discharged. Finally, I was happy with the family members who were open to me
& disclosed weaknesses of my client’s medication.
Evaluation

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This was my first encounter with a schizophrenia patient. It, therefore, gave me an
opportunity to device my own ways of dealing with a special patient like the one in question. I
learned that it is not advisable to simply reject a colleague’s view without explaining to them the
reason for your decision as this may negatively affect the teamwork spirit in a healthcare facility
set up & may negatively affect the quality of services offered to patients. It was a failure on the
client’s relatives not to make sure that he took his dosage as prescribed. In so doing, they did not
accord him any concern. Schuler (2014, p.701) notes that if schizophrenia patients are not
accorded due concern, they may not comply with the medication schedule.
Analysis
It was a good gesture for the client’s relatives to take him to the hospital regardless of his
continued lack of taking medication as I had prescribed to him. It is commendable that they did
not give up on him but still had hope in him. Their cooperation was also crucial as it leads me to
unveil new ways of approaching to his condition (Goudreau et al, 2015, p.575).
Conclusion
I am now confident that I can effectively handle unique patients like this one based on the
experienced gained from my tending to him. I have learned that patients experiencing mental
disorders are not different from other patients. By engaging them in a conversation, we get their
view which is crucial when determining their length of stay in the hospital, their progress-which

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may help us to adjust accordingly depending on their varying conditions. It also dawned to me
that showing concern for these patients can have a positive impact on their willingness to take
drugs( Husebø, O'Regan, & Nestel, 2015, p.370)At times especially when these patients are
unwilling to take medication even after medication, we can device other means of doing so
without their knowledge.
Action Plan
If caught in a similar situation in the future, I will not keep quiet when someone simply
ignores my suggestion without a valid reason. (Maranon & Pera, 2015, p.860) I am worried that
in so doing, the status of the patient may deteriorate if we do not uphold each other with dignity.
I will request them to give me a concrete reason & reason out the best way to approach the issue.
(Couto et al., 2015) I would also advise the relative of such as clients to accord their patient the
due concern. They should not let these patients act on their own, they should assist whenever
possible, supervise them as they take drugs & take them to the hospital whenever they observe
any abnormalities in patient’s behavior without having to wait for their condition to worsen.
(Tsingos, Bosnic-Anticevich, & Smith, 2014, p.18)
In conclusion, the application of Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle in my practice has helped me in
many ways. By reflecting on what I encountered in the past, I am able to evaluate myself;
whether what I did was the best thing I could have done &also identify where I erred, assess
other people’s perception of the manner in which I conducted myself at that moment.( Ghaye, &
Lillyman,2014, vol.1) In so doing, I work on rectifying the errors I committed in the past,
continue embracing the good deeds of the past & also integrate my past experiences with the

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current knowledge with the sole purpose of improving quality of healthcare offered to my clients
(Thompson & Pascal 2012, p.320).

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