NurseLogic 3: Knowledge and Judgement
The Knowledge and Judgement module discussed the breakdown of nursing knowledge, which includes education, skills, and attitude. We can use this knowledge to promote the health of our patients, prevent disease, and empower others. Nurses are able to do these tasks as a result of education and acquired skills, and we can use this knowledge to help keep patients healthy and safe. This large umbrella of ‘knowledge’ involves a multitude of subjects including physiology, pathophysiology, nutrition, math, legal and ethical issues, communication, and more specialized knowledge. These subjects can be used individually or in combination to effectively and efficiently assess and treat patients. It is important to mention that every nurse has a unique set of knowledge and skills that aid in their ability to do their jobs well. While we are all required to receive education regarding the subjects listed above, we also come to clinical settings with extensive personal experiences and our own specialized skill sets that we can contribute to patient care.
NurseLogic 4: Priority Setting
Priority setting as a nurse means using nursing judgment to make decisions about the order of nursing actions. There are seven frameworks that can be used to aid in the priority setting process. These help nurses decide the “now” versus “later” as far as priority of care. The first method is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which is a pyramid diagram that shows us how the highest priority needs are necessary for survival. The two most important needs are physiological as well as safety and security. Secondly, the nursing process can come in handy when making decisions about nursing actions. The ATI module lists these steps as assessment, analysis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. This differs slightly from the pneumonic we learned in class, which is ADPIE (assessment, diagnosis, plan, implementation, evaluation). Nurses can also use the ABCs (airway, breathing, circulation) to determine the order of care in emergency situations, as well as recognizing early signs of complications in a patient’s status. Safety and risk reduction also play important roles in priority setting. This framework can help nurses assign priority to the factor(s) posing the greatest risk to the patient’s status. The greatest risk is the highest priority. For the least restrictive/ least invasive framework, the module discussed how promoting safety can be done without the use of restraints, and also how invasive procedures can introduce more organisms into the body. A patient’s survival potential is also important to assess. In an emergency situation, we have to look at the chance of survival and the appropriate use of resources. It would not make sense to use up valuable resources on a patient that has a very small chance of survival. Lastly, nurses should assess if a patient’s situation is acute/chronic, urgent/nonurgent, or stable/unstable. This determination aids in the priority setting process as well.
