Critique of Nursing Practice worksheet

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NUR392

Critique of Nursing Practice

Name:

Melissa Hansen

INTRODUCTION
During this course you have had a chance to look at concepts related to health and
wellness as well as factors that influence not only the individual but also the family.
Often as nurses or nursing students, we are working with individuals who are
seeking care because of an illness. Buthow do we work with individuals and
families to promote health?
The purpose of this assignment is to give students time to critique their practice in
relation to health promotion and identify areas of strength and opportunities to
adapt their approach in a variety of areas.
CRITIQUE
1. Take a moment to reflect on what you have learned in this course and its impact
on your current nursing practice or on what you think your practice would be. If
you are not currently working in nursing or healthcare, reflect on your
experiences from clinicals in nursing school or other employment. Use your
reflection to respond to the prompts in the table below.
2.

Complete the following table.

a. In completing the table, provide a personal example of a situation that
relates to the Critique Question.
b. Next, using your example, identify at least one strength in your approach to
the situation.
c. Then, think about the example a bit more and identify how you might
approach the situation differently the next time.
d. You can have a different example for each Critique Question.
Critique
Question

How do I
communicate with
my patients/clients,
e.g., what % of
open ended
questions do I use
or do I rely on
yes/no questions?

Specific
Personal
Example
When I am working
in admitting I
typically rely on
yes/no questions. I
will sometimes ask
the patient what
brings them in for
a procedure, but
usually I have
already read their
chart and will
confirm with them
why they are
having a
procedure.

Strength(s) in my
Approach
We are usually on a
tight schedule and
by asking open
ended questions,
some patients will
elaborate more
than necessary,
which can get us
off track. This may
result in a longer
admission process
and thus the
physician waiting
for us to finish the
admission.

How I might
adapt/alter my
approach
By asking open
ended questions
my patients will
feel that I do care
about their health
and wellbeing.
They may also be
more relaxed and
not feel like they
are being rushed
through an
assembly line.

Critique of Nursing Practice worksheet

How do I know if I
am being culturally
sensitive &
planning culturally
sensitive strategies
for my
patients/clients? In
your response,
include the area
of a cultural
assessment that
primarily directed
your strategies for
care (Sanchez,
2013, pp. 97-103).

How do I advocate
for my patients or
families or the
nursing profession?

How do I utilize
evidence about
health promotion
(Maville, 2013, p.
3) in my nursing

In our admission
process we ask all
of our patients if
there are any
religious or cultural
beliefs that may
affect the care or
education they will
receive while in our
facility. The only
time I have had a
patient answer
Yes to this
question is a
Jehovah Witness
regarding blood
products. We also
rely on names. We
have employees
who are from
Albania, Bosnia
and Mexico. We
ask these
employees about
names of patients
and if they know
where they may be
from to give us an
idea of their
background.
I tell all of my
patients that we
will try our best to
make sure they are
comfortable during
their procedure.
When I am working
with the physicians
during procedures,
I do not hesitate to
ask the physician if
I can give more
medications, if I
observe the patient
experiencing pain
or discomfort.
I educate patients
about screening
colonoscopies. We
know that colon
cancer starts from

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As most patients
find this to be an
odd question, it
eliminates the
guessing for our
nursing staff.
Some patients are
noticeably from a
different cultural
background, but
some are not. I
cannot tell the
difference of a
Jehovah Witness
and a Christian just
by looking at them.

Asking the patients

about their cultural
background, which
will show interest.

The physicians rely

on my assessment
of the patient
during the
procedure, while
they are focused
on the procedure
itself. If I did not
speak up, the
physician may not
notice the patient
grimacing or a
guarded position.
Possibly resulting
in a bad
experience for the
patient.
Primary Care
Providers are
improving on
recommending
screening

I tend to be pretty
vocal to the
physicians about
my patients. I try
my hardest to do
what is in the best
interest of my
patient. One thing
I need to improve
on is including the
patients family.

I need to approach
this in a nonlecturing form.
Some patients will
quit listening if

Critique of Nursing Practice worksheet

practice?

How do I promote
cost efficiencies in
my nursing
practice?

3.

a polyp and that

we can prevent
colon cancer by
having a screening
colonoscopy at the
age of 50. Of
course there may
be other
indications to have
a colonoscopy at
an earlier age.
We use a lot
supplies during our
procedures and
some nurses want
to plan ahead for
the physician and
will open supplies
that may or may
not be used during
the procedure. As
the infection
control nurse, I tell
the nurses the
opened unused
supplies need to be
discarded prior to
the next procedure
to prevent the
spread of infection.
I recommend
waiting to open
any supply until
the physician asks
for it.

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colonoscopies to
their patients, but
patients usually do
not understand
what a polyp is and
that by removing it
can prevent it from
developing into
colon cancer.

they feel like they

are being told what
to do.

This decreases
wasting supplies.
Thus allowing us to
keep are
procedural cost
lower than the
hospitals.

Making signs to
post in the
procedure rooms
as a reminder to
nursing staff. Then
the physicians will
also know and will
hopefully be
patient for the
nurse to open the
supplies.

As the final step in this critique, respond to the following:

When you look at the roles of the nurse in health promotion (Huerta, 2013, p. 59),
which role do you feel is essential when using a health-promotion approach with
individuals and families?
Make your selection.
Explain your selection.
Include an example of how this role could/would be utilized in your
current/future nursing practice.
I feel educator is an essential role in health-promotion nursing. Huerta stated that
Education to remedy health-promotion deficits is essential for solving problems
(2013, p. 59). If we do not educate our patients, they will not know what the
recommendations are or what changes they need to make in their lifestyle to
become or remain healthy. As I mentioned earlier, I educate patients on the need
for colon cancer screenings. A colonoscopy is not a procedure most people want to

Critique of Nursing Practice worksheet

endure, by educating the patients they will hopefully realize it beats the alternative
of colon cancer. Yes, patients can access the internet, but the information may
inaccurate or difficult to interpret. Nurses educating patients can help translate the
medical terminology and provide accurate information.

Critique of Nursing Practice worksheet

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References

Huerta, C. G. (2013). The role of the nurse in health promotion. In J. A. Maville & C.
G. Huerta (Eds.), Health promotion in nursing (3rd ed.; pp. 53-71). Clifton
Park, NY: Delmar, Cengage Learning.
Maville, J. A. (2013). Health promotion: Past, present, and future. In J. A. Maville & C.
G. Huerta (Eds.), Health promotion in nursing (3rd ed.; pp. 2-17). Clifton Park,
NY: Delmar, Cengage Learning.
Sanchez, M. S. (2013). Cultural considerations. In J. A. Maville & C. G. Huerta (Eds.),
Health promotion in nursing (3rd ed.; pp. 90-106). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar,
Cengage Learning.
10/13; Rev. 10/14 nr