Applying Strength Based Nursing Principles: A Case Study Analysis

This essay provides a reflective analysis of strength based nursing, focusing on a video depicting the care of Mr. Sharman, an elderly patient. The author reflects on the nurse's empathetic and encouraging approach, highlighting the importance of patient empowerment and positive reinforcement. The essay discusses the author's personal feelings while watching the video, contrasting their initial unease with admiration for the nurse's ability to make the patient feel comfortable and cared for. It further explores how the video provides practical insights into handling similar real-time situations in hospitals, emphasizing patient-centered care and addressing feelings of guilt or embarrassment. The author also identifies areas for personal improvement, such as ensuring timely assistance and open communication, while acknowledging the significance of collaboration in strength based nursing.

Running head: STRENGTH BASED NURSING
STRENGTH BASED NURSING
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1STRENGTH BASED NURSING
The video shows the case of Mr. Sharman, an 86-year-old man who has been admitted
to the hospital for investigation as he was suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting. Mr.
Sharman could not access the bell, as it was not near him and vomited on him and on the bed.
A nurse came afterwards to help him clean and change his clothes to fresh ones. The nurse is
very polite and caring with Mr. Sharman and asks him not to feel guilty or be embarrassed
due to the incident. The video shows that the nurse encourages and motivates the patient to
let go of the incident, this is an example of strength based nursing approach (Schaffer,
Sandau & Diedrick, 2013). This video also shows how positive change can be brought about
in a patient with the help of the caring nature of the nurse or the service givers.
The video showed that Mr. Sharman vomited on himself and was trying to clean by
his own self with the help of tissues. I, at that time felt a bit uneasy and also felt sorry for the
old man, who was already depressed as his wife passed away just six months ago, whom he
loved very dearly and is now suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting. I felt awed by the nurse
as how she took care of Mr. Sharman and repeatedly asked him not to feel guilty or
embarrassed for the incident that occurred, how she was so polite while talking with him and
taking care of him. She had very carefully changed him into a fresh pair of clothes, which he
was wearing after a long time and was happy about it. This is another aspect of strength based
approach of nursing that is to make the patient happy and feel contended.
The good thing about watching this video is that we can actually know how to deal
with the situation when it will occur with us in real time while practising in hospitals. It gives
us the idea of strength based approach of nursing, where the patients are at centre of care and
how to encourage and empower the patient to find meaning in their life (Schaffer, Sandau &
Diedrick, 2013). The patient himself says that the nurse can bring a change in the life of
many patients due to her behaviour. The bad thing in the video for me was how the nurse
avoided talking about the patient’s late wife almost every time Mr. Sharman said about her.

2STRENGTH BASED NURSING
The video shown gives us an insight how to take care of a critical patient, who cannot
even move from the bed due to old age and disease he is suffering from. The video tells us
how to motivate people when he has given up. It also tells us to make them remove their
feeling of guilt due to any incident that occurred, which has occurred due to their fault. The
video gives us the knowledge to see that the services are met and patients should be checked
upon in regular intervals (Schaffer, Sandau & Diedrick, 2013). This is another aspect of
strength based approach in nursing.
I would have, possibly come to the patient on time, when he was calling. I would also
have kept the bell in such a place that it would have been easy for Mr. Sharman to access it
and call a nurse or a staff to help him rather than voicing out. This would not make the patient
feel guilty about the incident. If he could have easily rang the bell, he would not feel sorry or
embarrassed for the situation. Since this is a strength based nursing approach, which takes
into account the collaboration of patients in giving them care and services, this would have
helped (Choy, 2014).
When I would have faced this situation, I would have made him understand that the
incident happened due to our fault, as we were not near him, though he was a patient who
needed critical care. I would have made sure that like this situation does not happen by
keeping an eye on the patient constantly or by making sure that the bell for calling the help
services is quite easily accessible to the patient. I would also have converse with him about
his late wife, which he kept on mentioning the whole time. This is one of the aspect of
strength based approach in nursing, where collaboration with patients is important (Schaffer,
Sandau & Diedrick, 2013).

3STRENGTH BASED NURSING
References
Choy, L. (2014). The Strengths and Weaknesses of Research Methodology: Comparison and
Complimentary between Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. IOSR Journal Of
Humanities And Social Science, 19(4), 99-104. doi: 10.9790/0837-194399104
Schaffer, M., Sandau, K., & Diedrick, L. (2013). Evidence-based practice models for
organizational change: overview and practical applications. Journal Of Advanced
Nursing, 69(5), 1197-1209. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2012.06122.x