Role of Adult Nurse in Contemporary Healthcare Environment: A Case Study of Mrs. Paruma

This essay discusses the role of adult nurse in the care of Mrs. Paruma within contemporary healthcare environment by considering the professional standards of practice and behaviour outlined by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC,2018). It also highlights the significance of professionalism within nursing practice as well as legal, regulatory and ethical requirements and nursing theories in relation to the given scenario.

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An adult nurse is required to take care of the physical needs of the
patients and prevent their illness (Lewis, Heitkemper and Dirksen, 2015).
Based on this, the essay is going to look at the case of Mrs. Paruma who
is a 78 years old lady admitted to hospital with a urinary tract infection,
pyrexia and dehydration. It will look at the role of adult nurse in the care
of Mrs. Paruma within contemporary healthcare environment by
considering the professional standards of practice and behaviour
outlined by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC,2018). The essay
will further highlight the significance of professionalism within nursing
practice as well as legal, regulatory and ethical requirements and
nursing theories in relation to the given scenario.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2018), which is the controlling
body of nursing for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland has
established different laws, regulations, governance, policies and ethical
frameworks which are mandatory for the adult nurse to practice. One of
the NMC standards states that people should be prioritised and treated
as individuals by listening to their preferences and concerns while
ensuring that their physical, social and psychological needs are
assessed and met. Therefore, in reference to Mrs. Paruma, the adult
nurse is required to fulfil the necessary physical as well as mental health
requirements. Furthermore, the nurse needs to fulfil with the above
standards throughout their work in order to offer non-judgmental and
holistic care to patient. Moreover, the NMC (2018) states that nurses
should uphold their reputation of the profession at all times.
Professionalism is being referred as a powerful quality which gives
permission to individual to carry out their role effectively with their best
capability (Peplau, 2018). Professionalism for adult nursing is quite more
than just wearing a uniform and speaking politely with the patient
(Fairman, 2016). It includes a set of values, duties, respect and
advocacy a nurse use to offer elevated quality care to patient
(Black, 2019). Considering the current case of Mrs. Paruma, the adult
nurse is required to promote the rights and wishes of the elderly patients
and must be able to work in collaboration with the needs of the patients
by involving them in their decisions of their care (Black, 2019), the nurse
must consider the feelings of the patient with empathy and must respond
to her warmly and positively. However, Since Mrs.Paruma is showing
signs of confusion which might be contribute to the fact she has UTI
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(Infectious Diseases Emergencies, 2016). There might be need to carry
out a mental capacity assessment in order to deem her to have full
mental capacity to consent to her care as well as involve her in the
decision making of her care/ also talk about best interest (Infectious
Diseases Emergencies, 2016).
In addition to this, there are other standards as well such as practicing
effectively which involves giving IV fluids as Mrs. Paruma was
dehydrated. Additionally, in patient with UTI Antibiotics without
cumulative effects and a wide therapeutic range index should be
preferred. In addition to this, the other standard involves preserving
safety. In this relation, it is important on the part of nurse to make sure
that the patient does not fall and adequate safety should be offered in
the side of their bed. A nurse should also accompany her while going to
washrooms. Act without delay if you believe that there is a risk to patient
safety
Thus, overall, it can be said that as per the NMC standards (year) an
adult nurse is required to perform the role of a good instructor,
communicator, holistic caregiver, researcher and specialist.
A compassionate person centre of care is being needed by the patient in
order to get well soon and for healthy recovery. It is being referred as the
process of giving care to the patient with care, respect and
responsiveness (Bodenheimer and Pham, 2020). In Mrs.Parumas case,
the adult nurse should consider the individual desires of the patient, her
values and preferences and must guide all the clinical decisions
effectively. Mrs. Paruma is very worried and want to go home. Thus, it is
important that the nurse should show personal interest and must practice
good manner in front of the patient to make them feel happy.
Additionally, it is also essential that the nurse should always
acknowledge their empathy. Furthermore, Mrs. Paruma is living alone
and her daughter visits to see her three times a week only, rest all the
time she is alone in home. Therefore, in such a situation it is essential
that the nurse should assure her that she is able to understand her
problem, illness and treatment and will work best of her ability to pull her
out from this worse situation. In such a situation, it is important that the
nurse should look for the underlying cause and must learn to prioritise
things that is what is important for the patient and what not. Furthermore,
staying calm is also very crucial (Brooks, 2015). Mrs. Paruma want to
get herself discharged from the hospital as she is worried to stay in
hospital since her husband subsequently died on the adjacent ward.
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Therefore, it is significant on the part of adult nurse to practice effective
communication and try to calm Mrs.Paruma down by talking to her and
explaining the importance of the treatinh she is currently receiving.
Moreover, it is also vital for the nurse to provide effective communication
to Mrs. Paruma as it will help in improving the patient’s health outcome
(Cooper, 2018). A face to face connection, regular feedbacks and
effective listening to the patient’s needs is considered as a
compassionate person-centred care (Cooper, 2018).
The key nursing theories describe nursing as something which is more
dedicated and focussed in comparison professional (McCarthy,
2014)There are different types of nursing theories such as
environmental, nursing need theory, theory of human care, self-care
theory and transcultural nursing theory (McCarthy, 2014). All of them
offer best agendas for nursing practices at every level of understanding.
However, in relation to Mrs. Paruma’s case, the nursing theory of inter-
personal relations is quite applicable and her situation. The theory of
interpersonal relation was developed by Hildegard Peplau (1952) who
consider nursing as an interpersonal procedure of healing or beneficial
communication amid the patient and a caregiver particularly who is
educated to determine and reply to the requirement for support (Peplau,
2015). Further, this theory has focussed on the relationship between
nurse and client as the main foundation of nursing practice. Additionally,
the main core of the theory of interrelation is that the communication as
well as interaction habit of the adult nurse can majorly impact the well-
being of the patient along with their total healthcare experience. Since,
Mrs. Paruma is all alone at home and her husband died in the same
hospital in the adjacent ward, she was more worried mentally along with
her physical illness and also showing signs of confusion and cannot
stand on her feet all alone. Hence, it is crucial for the adult nurse to
strive for reducing the tension being generated by her disease by giving
her intravenous antibiotics and fluids (Cooper & Gosnell, 2014). Along
with this, it is also important for the nurse to consider the culture and
background of the patient so that a preconception can be shared related
to past experience (Peplau, 2018) and also offer individualised care to
the patient (Diversity and Cultural Awareness in Nursing Practice, 2020).
A right care will help patient to begin a feeling of belongingness and
reduce the feeling of helplessness (Diversity and Cultural Awareness in
Nursing Practice, 2020). With this care, Mrs. Paruma can feel motivated
and attain a healthier emotional balance.
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There are different steps being involved in the nursing process. the very
first is assessment which encompasses critical thinking as well as skills.
It also involves verbal statements of the patients or from the caregiver.
The next step involves observation or diagnosis which employs clinical
judgement so that care and treatment can be implemented and planned.
The next step involves planning that is on the basis of the observation
and different clinical test being performed, the goals and the outcomes
are being developed which directly influence the patient care. The
implementation is the final stage which involves actually doing or
performing (Toney-Butler & Thayer, 2022).
Therefore, from the analysis it can be said that the above essay
has significantly helped in ensuring the comprehension of the role of the
adult nurse in this current healthcare environment. There are different
components which are considered to be a registered nurse such as
professional values, laws, regulation and governance related to nursing
practices, these are assessed efficiently in the current essay above.
Further, it has also been comprehended that it is quite essential for the
adult nurses to encompass certain skill clusters such as infection
prevention and control, care, compassion and communication, medicine
management and nutrition and fluid management in order to attain the
standards for competence
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Peplau, H.E. (2015). Interpersonal relations in nursing. Norwalk,
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Online references
Standards for competence for registered nurses. (2021). [Online].
Available through:
<https://www.nmc.org.uk/globalassets/sitedocuments/standards/nmc-
standards-for-competence-for-registered-nurses.pdf>. [Accessed on
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Brooks, A., 2015. 10 Terrific Tips for New Nurses Dealing with Difficult
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https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/nursing/blog/tips-for-new-nurses-
dealing-with-difficult-patients/>. [Accessed on 10thJune 2022].
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