Critical Review: Clinical Decision Making, Patient Care, and Nursing

This essay provides a critical review of clinical decision-making in healthcare, emphasizing the importance of patient safety and the prevention of medication errors. It discusses the responsibilities of medical professionals, particularly nurses, in providing quality care and highlights the impact of ethical, political, and social factors on patient outcomes. The essay examines various types of medication errors, their causes, and the significance of effective communication and teamwork among healthcare staff. It also explores the role of clinical support systems and the need for continuous professional development to minimize errors and improve patient care. The importance of ethical considerations, such as patient consent and maintaining a safe environment, is also addressed. The conclusion reiterates the critical role of clinical decision-making in ensuring positive patient outcomes and underscores the need for healthcare professionals to prioritize patient safety and ethical practices.

Critical Reflection

Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Main Body.......................................................................................................................................3
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8

Introduction
Medical professionals are responsible to provide quality care to the patients. Safety
during hospitalization of patient is the main responsibility of medical professionals. In case of
any kind of medication can cause harm to the patients (Cloete, 2015). Present study will
critically review clinical decision making applied to patients care. Furthermore, it will explain
political and social factors that impact on patient care. In addition, role of nurses will be
described in this assignment.
Main Body
Each medical professional have to fulfil their duties in effective manner. They are
responsible to provide quality care services to the patients (Hayes and et.al, 2015). Whenever
individual admit in hospital, they expect to get right care so that their condition can be improved
soon. But sometimes medication errors from professional’s side create difficulty for the person
that becomes the leading cause of death in health and social care sector. Statically records show
that in the year 2008 1-2% cases have came into existence where medical errors led to death.
As per the view of Vaismoradi and et.al, (2014) Medication is the process that is applied
by medical professionals to prevent the person from diseases. Each nurse provides specific drugs
to the patients that can help in improving their condition. But if they fail to provide proper care
then it may increase difficulty for the person and hospital as well. Medication errors can be
defined as failure of providing correct treatment to patients that lead to harm to patients.
Treatment process includes prescribing medicines and administration of drugs. Sometimes
doctors prescribe them medicines without examining the situation well (Lan and et.al., 2014). In
such condition reaction, allergies such type of conditions take place. Statically records show that
due to medication errors 7000 deaths have been occurred in UK. Thus, it is very important in for
care providers that they take proper clinical decisions while providing care to patients. Small
mistake can led to big issue (Nazir and et.al., 2016).
There are various kinds of medication errors such as omission error, wrong drug errors,
wrong patient error, wrong route error, wrong time, technician errors etc. All these issue create
big trouble for the health and social care sector because they fail to provide quality care to the
care users. it is very common that medical professionals provide wrong drugs to the individual

that harm the person (Maaskant. and et.al., 2015). In such condition medical condition of the
person become worst which leads to death of individual. Apart from this, wrong dos amount or
technical errors create difficulty for individual. Güneş, Gürlek. and Sönmez, (2014) argued that
medication safety is the main agenda of health and social care sector. They aims to minimize
medication errors and identify the medical condition of individual carefully before providing
them care. In order to reduce such type of issues professionals are taking support of
standardization and simplify medical procedure. They ensure that patient get safe environment
and visitors are not allow to interrupt with nurses. This helps in providing clam environment to
the medical professionals and they can examine condition of the patient carefully.
As per the view of Choi and et.al., (2016) .clinical support system has been implemented
in health and social care sector where it has become essential for the medical professionals that
to check past history, habits of the patients before prescribing them medicines. This assists in
giving correct treatment to the patients and improving their care to great extent. Sometimes
medication errors occur due to the mistake of pharmacist. When doctors prescribe specific dos to
the person but pharmacist provide wrong medicine to the person which impact negative on their
health condition. Hayes and et.al, (2015) .argued that nurses also commit medication errors.
They sometimes fail to examine the condition of person carefully. Apart from this, wrong
medicine at wrong time increase chances of consequences. In such condition overall condition of
the person gets badly affected and some time it leads to death.
According to Vaismoradi and et.al, (2014) there are various factors that impact on
individual care to great extent. Ethical aspect is considered as one of the major aspect which
helps the person in providing quality care to the patients. It is responsibility of nurses that to
follow ethical aspects. They have behaved well with the patients. Doctors can not behave harsh
with care users. If they behave well with the patients then people will trust on the medical
professionals. By this way they will discuss their problems with the medical professionals. This
impacts positive on the care of users because doctors will be able to provide correct treatment to
the patients (Maaskant. and et.al., 2015). Apart from this it is ethical responsibility of nurses that
to deal with family members properly. They have to discuss about medical condition of the
person with individual and with family members. Doctors can not provide any kind of treatment
without taking their consent. This impact positive in patients care because by this way individual
get to know what kind of treatment is received by the person and individual give their full

support in getting this care (MEDICATION ERRORS IN NURSING: COMMON TYPES,
CAUSES, AND PREVENTION, 2018).
As per the view of Vaismoradi and et.al, (2014) political factor influence the patient care
to great extent. Many time changes in political condition create difficulty for the health and
social care sector. If government makes changes in the legislation then medical professionals
have to follow these new laws and have to provide care to patients accordingly. On other hand if
new technologies are implemented by the government then it becomes essential for care
providers that to provide proper care to the users by taking support of new technologies. But
sometimes it increases chances of errors because practionnairs do not have adequate knowledge
about the latest technologies. In such condition they have to examine situation of users well. That
many times causes errors which impact negative on the health condition of patients.
Maaskant. and et.al., (2015) stated that in order to reduce medication errors it is essential for the
medical professionals that to follow guidelines properly. They have to check medical condition
of the person before giving them treatment. Right medication in right dose can improve
condition of person. But giving wrong dose from wrong route creates difficulty for the person in
improving soon. Nurses are responsible for improving condition on individuals. It is essential for
the person that they must have cognitive skills. By this way they can observe condition of
patients well and can critically judge their situation. In the health care sector doctors, nurses play
significant role. They play role of communicator. Nurses have to coordinate well with the
patients. This assists in identifying situation of person well. In the hospitals many people visit
daily. They come to care homes for getting medical consultation from the. If they do not
communicate with patients well then this will support nurses in minimizing doubts of patients.
Güneş, Gürlek. and Sönmez, (2014) argued that nurses are responsible for patient safety.
Medical professionals are responsible for safety of individuals. After examining condition of the
person nurses prescribe medicines to the patients. They have to ensure that correct medicines are
being given to the care users. If they fail to give correct medicine from correct route then it may
create difficulty for the persona and can harm users to great extent. Nurses have to provide
safeguards to the individuals.
As per the view of Choi and et.al., (2016) nurses play the role of caregivers. They treat
the person well; they identify needs of patients and accordingly deliver them services. They are
responsible to act as advocate. They provide advocacy services to the people so that their

knowledge can be improved soon. This assists to aware then so that they can take care of their
health (MEDICATION ERRORS IN NURSING: COMMON TYPES, CAUSES, AND
PREVENTION, 2018). Medical professionals have to critically examine situation of the patients.
Medical professionals need to have communication, cognitive skills. These skills assist the
medical professionals in coordinating well with patients. By having good cognitive skills
individual can observe medical condition. This skill of individual support in providing quality
care to the person. By having good communication skill, medical professionals can develop good
relationship with the care users. Many medication errors take place due to miscommunication.
There are many communication barriers due to which doctors fail to coordinate well with the
patients. Cultural differences, language barriers etc. are the major causes due to which doctors
fail to coordinate well with the persons. Poor communication is accounted for died of patients.
Due to cultural differences people fail to understand identifying needs of person well. This
creates difficulty for medical professionals in providing patients correct treatment. In the absence
of proper interaction errors get increased.
According to Hayes and et.al, (2015) It is responsibility of all staff members that to work
in coordination. There should not be any kind of communication gap that increase chances of
medication errors in health and social care sector. All the team members have to fulfil their
responsibility in appropriate manner so that they can provide quality care to patients in hospitals.
If all are not aware with their duties then it may create confusion due to which doctors may get
fail to deliver quality care services to the care users. Interprofessional team has to work as team,
they are key players in the hospitals. If they do not perform well then patient will not get proper
treatment which many negatively impact on their health. For example if nurse is unaware with
their duty timing then nurse cannot be able to examine right patient. This is the situation that
increases administration error and sometimes in such condition nurses gives wrong medical
prescription to the wrong person which affects their medical condition to great extent.
As per the view of Vaismoradi and et.al, (2014) it is very important for the care providers
that to have adequate knowledge about the field. If the medical professional does not have
sufficient knowledge about clinical cases and medicines then they will not be able to give right
medicines to the patients. In such condition chances of death or harm get increased in the
hospitals (Hayes and et.al, 2015). They need to behave professional with all patients. Firstly they
have to know about their situations, medical history and accordingly practionairs have to give

right medicine to them. There should be healthy environment where all the patients can feel safe
and secure. This will enhance their confidence they will discuss their illness with doctors. This is
the best way of providing quality care to the users. It is essential for the senior doctors that to
give training to junior medical staff members (MEDICATION ERRORS IN NURSING:
COMMON TYPES, CAUSES, AND PREVENTION, 2018). This will enhance their knowledge
about new technologies through which can operate patients well. All these technique supports in
minimizing chances of medication errors in the health and social care sector.
Conclusion
From the above report it can be concluded that clinical decision are very important in the
health and social care sector. Nurses are responsible to protect ill people and provide them
quality care. They have to coordinate well with them; This will assist in improving their
condition and making them aware with their actual medical conditions. There is essential that all
staff members work as team and perform their duties effectively. This will help in minimizing
confusion and improving condition of patients as well. Ethical aspect is considered as one of the
major aspect which helps the person in providing quality care to the patients. It is responsibility
of nurses that to follow ethical aspects. They have behaved well with the patients. Doctors can
not behave harsh with care users.

References
Books and Journals
Choi, I., and et.al., 2016. Incidence and treatment costs attributable to medication errors in
hospitalized patients. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy. 12(3). pp.428-
437.
Cloete, L., 2015. Reducing medication errors in nursing practice. Nursing Standard
(2014+). 29(20). pp.50.
Güneş, Ü.Y., Gürlek, Ö. and Sönmez, M., 2014. Factors contributing to medication errors in
Turkey: nurses' perspectives. Journal of nursing management. 22(3). pp.295-303.
Hayes, C. and et.al,2015. Medication errors in hospitals: a literature review of disruptions to
nursing practice during medication administration. Journal of clinical nursing. 24(21-22).
pp.3063-3076.
Lan, Y.H. and et.al., 2014. Medication errors in pediatric nursing: Assessment of nurses'
knowledge and analysis of the consequences of errors. Nurse education today. 34(5).
pp.821-828.
Maaskant, J.M. and et.al., 2015. Interventions for reducing medication errors in children in
hospital. The Cochrane Library.
Nazir, A. and et.al., 2016. OPTIMISTIC transition visits: A model to improve hospital to nursing
facility transfers. Annals of Long-Term Care. 24(7). pp.31-36.
Vaismoradi, M. and et.al., 2014. Nursing students' perspectives of the cause of medication
errors. Nurse education today. 34(3). pp.434-440.
Online
MEDICATION ERRORS IN NURSING: COMMON TYPES, CAUSES, AND PREVENTION.
2018. [Online]. Available through
<https://www.medcomrn.com/index.php/articles/common-nursing-medication-errors-
types-causes-prevention/>