Research Proposal on "Nurse as a Patient"

Research Proposal 16 pages (4322 words) Sources: 4 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Nurses Recount about Experiences with Patients

When one of their nursing department's senior nurses became a patient, having to undergo "two orthopedic surgeries within six months," Leeann Bennett, RN (2007, ¶ 1), recounts, "there was a missing piece on the floor. What we didn't know was what her experience would teach all of us." Due to side effects from Oxycontin, the nurse/patient who had been considered "a rock," reportedly forgot things she would have normally easily remembered. The trying personal experiences "with treatments such as a femoral drip," Bennett (2007, ¶ 2- 3) notes, "helped us learn how to better assist our patients." Bennett (2007, ¶ 2) also reports that information that the nurse/patient shared regarding the corridor's noise level during the night caused the other nurses to examine their role in how they might improve the patient experience on their floor. The lesson she and the other nurses learn from one of their own being a patient humbled them, Bennett (2007, ¶ 2) said.

Suit for Questionable Care Within a few days of a male nurse being admitted to the hospital Tammelleo (2003, ¶ 2) states, Dr. Yolanda Pena, a neurologist, informed the nurse/patient that he had suffered a stroke in March of 2003. After the nurse was released from the hospital, he "underwent physical and occupational therapy at various rehabilitation facilities for the injuries sustained as a result of the stroke."

This nurse reportedly did not question the care he received at the hospital until two years later, after he read a number of magazine articles related to how strokes may be treated. This male nurse, due to the information from the magazine articles, hired an attorney regarding the treatment he received, claiming that staff failed t diagnose his stroke earlier, even though his recorded noted a "possible [cerebro vascular accident] CVA" when he was in the ER. In turn, the male nurse filed suit against the hospital for being negligent in diagnosing and treating his condition. Following a jury trial which returned a verdict for the plaintiff for $800,000, the hospital appealed. (Tammelleo, 2003, ¶ 2)

A Sustained Partnership with the Patient

In the article, "Using patient-centered interviewing skills to manage complex patient encounters in primary care," Catherine Lein, and Celia E. Wills (2007, ¶ 3) report a number of steps to consider in patient-centered interviewing. The authors present a representative, "medically focused interaction likely to occur with John D., based on his chief complaint." The reflected interaction differs from ones noted with this paper's representative patients as it does occurs in an urgent care setting, as Lein, and Wills (2007, ¶ 3) point out, and consequently, does not mirror the effort nurses in a hospital setting traditionally utilize "to establish a sustained partnership with the patient." As Lein, and Wills (2007, ¶ 2) purport, "patient-centered interviewing is used within a goal of sustained partnerships with patients." An investment of time and energy to sustain a partnership with patients yields positive benefits in regard to improving patients longer term physiological status, his/her treatment adherence, and potentially enhance his/her quality of life.

Your patient's body didn't read the textbook," Henry Hample (2000,¶ 6) stresses in: "When Doctors and Nurses Become Patients," as he addresses health professionals with multiple sclerosis. Signs and symptoms of a disease, such as MS, which at times necessitate a nurse be treated in a hospital setting, may appear in disappear years. Carol Matthews, RN, of Springfield, Missouri, states. She remembers first experiencing symptoms of multiple sclerosis [MS] at the age of 19, while attending nursing school. "I developed a case of optic neuritis [an inflammation of the optic nerve causing impaired vision]," Matthews said. "I was treated with steroids, but no one said anything about the possibility of MS" (Hample, 2000, ¶ 7). Three years later, at the age of 20, signs of MS reappeared, however this time the symptoms included double vision. Matthews went to numerous doctors to try to find out what disease she had and obtain treatment. In time, due to the frustration of not knowing, she simply gave up, thinking she was being really weird. She was also treated that way, Matthews said. Not until 12 years later, did a doctor finally diagnose Matthews with MS. (Hample, 2000, ¶ 8). Janice M. Morse, Gail Ann DeLuca Havens, and Sharon Wilson (1997, ¶ 1) relate three interrelated levels of nursing actions in: "The Comforting Interaction: Developing a Model of Nurse-Patient Relationship."

Nurses provide these three processes "in response to patient signals of distress, indices of discomfort, and patterns of relating that form patient actions":

comforting strategies, or separate discrete actions which together form nurses' styles of care, styles of care, or sets of comforting strategies, and patterns of relating, or normative, professional behaviors. (Morse, Havens, and Wilson (1997, ¶ 1)

Morse, Havens, and Wilson (1997, "Nurse-Patient Relationship," ¶ 1) cite

Peplau (1952, p. 9) to explain that a nurse-patient relationship consists of one where two individual "come to know each other well enough to face the problems at hand in a co-operative way." Traditionally, researchers who examine the nurse-patient relationship collect data utilizing "retrospective interviews with patients and/or nurses" instead of focusing on one solitary interactive event. In turn, the amassed data generally consists of descriptions nurse-patient relationships as they develop and change over time (Morse, Havens, and Wilson, 1997, "Nurse-Patient Relationship," ¶ 1). When researchers describe the nurse-patient relationship, many may describe "the development and evolution of the relationship and identify characteristics (usually affective) of each type of relationship" (Morse, 1991; cited by Morse, Havens, and Wilson, 1997, "Nurse-Patient Relationship," ¶ 2). Over time, as trust develops between the nurse and patient, who may initially have had a clinical relationship, may become involved in a therapeutic, connected or perhaps even, an over-involved relationship. NFPSQ This researcher specifically developed the Nurse Feelings to Patient Status Questionnaire (NFPSQ) for this study. The NFPSQ, Likert scaled, consists of 10 affective statements regarding a nurse respondent's feelings relating to his/her status as a patient. Along with each nurse participant completing the NFPSQ, he/she completed two final open ended questions, which proffered him/her the opportunity to relate any concerns or considerations the NFPSQ may not have included.

Research Questions Utilized to Create Questionnaire

The research questions, noted earlier in this study, contributed to the development of the questionnaire this researcher utilized to explore feelings of nurses relating to their experiences as patients. The research questions, answered by this investigation, include the following:

What are the perception of nurse-patients of the type, quality, and consistency of care received while acutely hospitalized?

How does the experience of becoming a patient shape a nurse's perception of the health care environment?

How do you perceive the nurse patient relationship is different when the patient is also a nurse?

The Proposed Sample Population

The proposed sample population consists of five nurses, currently employed in health care. From a total of six candidates who qualified for participation in the study, each of the final five subjects possessed no fewer than five years of full-time nursing experience and had experienced least three full days (minimum of 72 hours) of hospitalized care. As noted earlier in this study, this researcher desired to explore relationships within an acute hospital setting across multiple shifts of nursing. Ensuring this criterion consequently mandated nurse/patients previously experienced at least three days of hospitalization, a minimum criteria for participation.

This researcher distributed the questionnaire via e-mail to each nurse participant, who previously, conditionally confirmed his/her agreement to complete questionnaire prior to its distribution. From the total of six questionnaires distributed; five were completed and personally returned to this researcher, reflecting an 83% response rate. During the course of each individual interview with the five participants, this researcher referred to responses related on the questionnaire to utilize as a guide to maintain the focus for the study.

The five participants who completed this study, included:

Angela, 29-year-old, Hispanic female, experiencing premature labor pains, works in E.R..

David, 35-year-old, former salesman, works as a pediatric nurse.

Destiny, a 46-year-old Caucasian, works as a surgical nurse.

Ms. Myra, a 64-year-old Black nurse, nearing retirement, works in cardiology,

Therisa, an Asian nurse, attends night classes to become a Nurse Practitioner and works with patients undergoing studies.

Nurse Feelings to Patient Status Questionnaire (NFPSQ)

Please respond to each of the following statements by checking which of the answers best applies to your feelings regarding being a patient, hospitalized in an acute care setting.

During the Orientation Phase of my interactions with my nurse/s and upon meeting nurses who cared for me while hospitalized, I felt it best to inform each individual nurse of my profession as a nurse.

While hospitalized for my illness, during the Identification Phase, the primary nurse assigned to my case thoroughly explained tests, procedures and medications.

Even when/if I may have appeared to question some facet of my care during the Exploitation Phase of my hospital stay, nurses caring for me professionally answered any questions and/or concerns I… READ MORE

How to Reference "Nurse as a Patient" Research Proposal in a Bibliography

Related Research Proposals:

Trends Affecting the Nurse as a Patient Educator Research Paper

Nurse as a Patient Educator:

In the modern healthcare system, nursing student or staff education and patient education is an issue of significant interest to nurses in all their settings… read more

Research Paper 4 pages (1266 words) Sources: 4 Topic: Healthcare / Health / Obamacare

---

Nursing Philosophy a Philosophy Essay

Nursing Philosophy

A Philosophy of Nursing

Like every profession, nursing is both a commonly shared calling and a very personal one. Every nurse shares certain professional standards with all of… read more

Essay 10 pages (2764 words) Sources: 10 Topic: Nursing / Doctor / Physician

---

Nurse Health Habits Effect Hospital Environment Research Paper

This general data includes the age, ethnicity, hobbies, general appearance, memory impairment as well as disabilities. At this particular stage the cultural challenge which was observed was the different culture… read more

Research Paper 12 pages (4387 words) Sources: 11 Topic: Nursing / Doctor / Physician

---

Nurse Stats Capstone Project

Nurse Stats

A brief overview of the measured statistics in this study and their mean, central tendencies, on confidence intervals yield some interesting possibilities that warrant further inspection and more… read more

Capstone Project 6 pages (1568 words) Sources: 8 Topic: Nursing / Doctor / Physician

---

Nurse Research Evidence-Based Nursing: Develop Essay

Nurse Research

Evidence-Based Nursing:

Develop a nursing research question.

In what ways can the use of evidence-based practice help to reduce low morale, high turnover and personnel shortages amongst nurses?… read more

Essay 2 pages (600 words) Sources: 2 Style: APA Topic: Nursing / Doctor / Physician

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>