Topic 5 DQ 2

1 postsRe: Topic 5 DQ 2

Nurses are responsible for delivering optimal patient centered care, and in order to so, nurses must advocate for their patients, especially patients that cannot advocate for themselves. The article “Critical Care: The Role of Nurses as Patient Advocates,” states that a nurse’s role in being a patient advocate includes being communicators, liaisons, educators, interpretors, and caregivers (“Critical Care: The Role of Nurses as Patient Advocates,” 2016). Not too long ago I was taking care of an older patient who did not have a cardiac history, and their pulse kept dipping down into the high 20’s. I contacted the patient’s attending doctor three times to show my concern, but the attending just kept saying to continue to monitor the patient. The patient seemed worried as well, and didn’t feel like they were getting the proper attention. Fed up with the doctor not willing to examine the patient, I called an RRT which forced the attending doctor and other members of the interdisciplinary team to examine the patient. After the RRT, it was determined that patient needed closer monitoring and they were sent to the PCU. The doctor seemed annoyed with my decision, but the nursing supervisor and RRT nurse commended my efforts for advocating for the patient. Had I not initiated the RRT, the patient could have possibly experienced cardiac arrest and/or loss of heart function.