A woman recently arrived for treatment of her right-hand fracture. She looked healthy apart from her hand that was fractured. In her case report, she claimed to have fallen, while trying to access a hanger that was located higher on the wall. She had climbed on a seat, when she slipped and fell on her right arm. While at the hospital, the X-ray film she was taken showed her that two bones were fractured. She was treated and discharged immediately. As a home care nurse, I visited her in her home after few days. I managed to talk to her and examined her closely. She looked weary and in pain even after taking medication. I observed her closely and noticed she had a swollen head on her left side with some black spots. I did not want to conclude that she was assaulted and therefore, I decided to ask her some more questions.
I inquired from her to know whether she was staying alone with her 9-year-old son, who was away for school or with her husband too. She gave me the information that she was living with her husband, with whom she had been married for 10 years. I realized that she was troubled, when I asked about it. I examined her medical record later in the office and found out that she had reported a case of insomnia for quite some time. I asked the colleague, who was dealing with her previously, about the case and received information that was relevant to my judgement. She reported a case of sleepless nights due to her heavily snoring husband, who came home drunk in several occasion. I concluded that the woman did not fall and fracture her arm; but rather she was assaulted by her husband. Further investigation revealed that the woman was suffering from depression.
I had a strong desire to know more about this case. I inquired to know more about how they relate as a family. I had confidence in the way I was approaching this case. I did everything to ensure that my thinking was accurate. I was flexible in mind, since I did not want to conclude early enough that the woman had been assaulted, due to poor relationship with her husband. Even though, I was flexible in mind, I had a complete picture of what I thought had happened. I looked at the woman, and from the way she was responding to my questions I could realize that there was something disturbing her mind. I could establish later on that she was undergoing depression. I analysed the situation after gathering enough information from the previous medical records of the woman. I considered all the other facts concerning her relationship with her husband and the bruises she retained on her left side of the head. In fact, I reasoned logically that if a person fell on her right arm, then there is little possibility that she can injure her left side of the forehead. Therefore, I concluded that she was assaulted by her husband and needed further treatment concerning her depression. She started receiving her medication, and I suggested that she also starts receiving counselling to help her overcome further issues.
I intervened in this case by finding the cause of this woman’s suffering. I further applied the necessary skills to ensure that the woman gets appropriate treatment for both her arm and mind. These interventions were effective, since they resulted to the woman being open to us and, therefore, we found a lasting solution to her problem. My interventions came as a result of the research and critical thinking.
Evidence-based practice is essential, since it eliminates the room for trial and error instead; the correct medication is applied for a specific illness. Evidence- based practice is also essential, since it boosts the confidence of medical practitioners in establishing their intervention. This will result in the increased productivity of individuals in their respective medical fields (Rubenfeld and Scheffer, 2010). Critical thinking will also enable the provision of quality medical services in a cost-effective way, since resources are used in predetermined situations (Critical Thinking and Nursing). Many people are fond of concealing the truth from medical practitioners and hence; it is up to the practitioners to use their critical thinking skills to find the bottom line of several problems reported in hospitals.
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