Reflective Journal: Fundamentals of Perioperative Practice, CL401

This assignment presents a student's reflective journal entry on their experience in perioperative practice. The reflection details a specific case involving a cataract surgery patient, highlighting the student's interactions and communication strategies to alleviate the patient's anxiety. The student discusses the importance of building rapport, providing clear information about the procedure, and offering emotional support. The reflection covers aspects such as pre-operative preparation, the surgical process, and post-operative instructions, including the patient's lifestyle adjustments. The student emphasizes the significance of patient-centered care, the impact of effective communication, and the lessons learned from the experience. The assignment concludes with a reference to supporting literature, underscoring the practical application of theoretical concepts in a real-world clinical setting.

Fundamentals of Perioperative
Practice

Table of Contents
REFLECTION.................................................................................................................................1
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................3

REFLECTION
As a health care professional, I had to operate a person as his lens inside the eyes has
become cloudy and because of which he was unable to see clearly. So, while initiating the
surgery, I was also quite worried as the person was older in age and he was feeling very
uncomfortable. He was a little anxious as well but I managed to keep him engaged with some
interesting topics. I enjoyed talking to him. Then I made him comfortable enough and told him
that during the surgery, he won't feel any pain because he would be given a topical anaesthesia
which is to be given by injection under or inside the eye in the dead nerves. So, I told him that he
will feel pain only at the time of injecting anaesthesia, after that everything will be OK. This was
my kind of support to him as he was worried as eye is a very delicate organ and he was anxious
about the fact whether the surgery will lead successful or not. He was also worried if the
operation failed and he may go blind. Then, I told him it is just a matter of few hours, after that
the person will be able to see clearly and can lead a very normal life again. I tried to boosted his
confidence that as he is a grown up man and he should not get affected by pain of a few hours. I
was very much successful in doing so. He also started sharing his experiences of life with me.
We had a very good experience. As he had to fast before surgery, he was feeling very hungry at
the time of operation, so I told him that I will make you eat whatever you want to after the
surgery, so please cooperate for a while. He knew I am kidding and I won't allow him to eat
anything excluding the diet plan but he said yes, he is fine. During the surgery, I made him very
comfortable as I shared some of my experiences of life with him and asked for advice as he was
older and experienced as well, so we shared a good bond and this conversation also helped him
in getting relaxed. After a while, he was very relaxed about the surgery as he knew it will just
take a few hours and after that everything will be OK. I made him realise that there are some
things which he cannot do after the surgery for a few days such as he cannot take shower for 1-2
weeks. Also, the patient of a cataract surgery has to avoid any sort of pressure on eyes such as of
mobile phones, laptops ( Yao and et.al., 2013). So, he has to follow all this. At the end, I realised
that staying serious with patients can make the process complicated as if there will be no
interaction level between the patient and the professional, the patient will not be able to share
their own ideas and issues with the professional. So, I learned that staying friendlier with the
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patient can actually help in boosting their morale and give them that confidence so that they can
deal with the situation.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Yao, K. and et.al., 2013. The incidence of postoperative endophthalmitis after cataract surgery in
China: a multicenter investigation of 2006–2011. British Journal of Ophthalmology,
pp.bjophthalmol-2013.
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