Nurses are tasked with the responsibility of taking care of patients and advocating for their rights. They form a link between patients and medical doctors, and other health professionals in the hospital. Nurses not only look after their patient's physical well-being but ensure their mental health is also ok(Eagar & Poulos,2007). There is a lot of pressure that nurses face while carrying out their duties. As a nurse working in subacute care, which is meant for patients requiring complex care or rehabilitation, one meets patients undergoing psychological complications. The situation encountered that will form the basis of this discussion is of a teenager who survived an accident crash but was severely injured, and his legs had to be amputated. The incident was traumatic, and he was left in shock and went into depression.
The strategy I utilized in handling this situation was communicating with the patient to express his feelings. This is a crucial step in managing depression as the patient knows that being sympathetic to their situations helps them know that you understand their feelings. The next step is to reassure them that their situation can change and psychologists and psychiatrists that deal with mental health can overcome depression through proper medical treatment. I referred the patient to a psychologist to help them cope and be better. Nurses face an ethical dilemma when carrying out their duties, especially when giving medical advice to patients. It is paramount to ensure that you direct the patient to a doctor to treat the patient (Marek, Popejoy, Petroski & Rantz,2006). This will prevent any lawsuits issued by a patient.
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References
Eagar, K., & Poulos, C. J. (2007). Determining appropriateness for rehabilitation or other subacute care: is there a role for utilization review?. Australia and New Zealand Health Policy , 4 (1).
Marek, K. D., Popejoy, L., Petroski, G., & Rantz, M. (2006). Nurse care coordination in community‐based long‐term care. Journal of Nursing Scholarship , 38 (1), 80-86.
