REFLECTIVE LOG MENTAL HEALTH

NAME: SHAFIQ UR RAHMAN

CLASS NO. 36

BSN YEAR-III, SEMESTER-VI

TOPIC: “REFLECTION ON SUBJECT OF MENTAL HEALTH

NURSING”

SUBJECT: MENTAL HEALTH NURSING

SUBMITTED TO: SIR ZUBAIR

Patient and self safety for health care professionals is one of the basic priorities
in any health care setting. In order to provide quality care to the patient,
infection control standard is essential for the safety of both patients and
caregivers. The health care professionals especially nurses are in front in
patient care are particularly more exposed to different infections. Student
nurses are unfamiliar to maintain standard precautions and often at risk for
different infections. According to Labrague, Rosales & Tizon (2012) nursing
students during their practice are also at risk of such infection and injuries.
Exposure to infection can be controlled and minimized by teaching the
students about the standard precaution guidelines of infection control. The
students’ nurses are also involved in patient care so they should know how to
protect themselves and as well patient from infection. According to Sulaiman
(2014), effective education is necessary for students’ nurses to ensure the
concept about standard precautions and put it into practice.
I recently come across a situation during my clinical with students, as a part of
senior elective learning process. I encountered two of my students they were
doing a minor wound dressing for a patient without wearing gloves. I also
observed that after dressing they did not washed their hands. I called both of
the students and asked for the reason why you did not wear the gloves while
doing the dressing. They replied me, sir it was a minor injury and patient has
not any contagious disease. I told them it is very important in terms of self and
patient safety to wear gloves and maintain aseptic techniques while attending
every patient.
The situation made me upset and I was thinking that why student not wear
gloves while attending the patients.
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REFLECTION IN ACTION

It made me think, that why students don’t follow the standard precaution
guidelines. What is the reason behind it? And what are the barriers/factors
that contribute that students do not follow the standard precautions
guidelines? Are the students having little knowledge of infection control? In
this reflection I will reflect/analyze the barriers/factors behind this situation
and strategies to motivate students to use aseptic techniques during their
clinical practice.
After the above scenario, I felt that first I should identify the factors and
barriers which contribute student nurses for not using aseptic techniques
during their clinical practice. There are different barriers; one of them is lack of
knowledge regarding the use of aseptic techniques among nursing students.
According to Kim & Hyunjin (2015) most of the students do not know the
correct concept of standard precaution, in their study a participant stated that
he should wash his hands but if there is no cut or laceration on his hand he
cannot be infected. In my scenario the student stated that it was a minor
dressing and I have not any cut or laceration on my hands therefore i do not
need to wear gloves. Moreover, situational barriers are also contributing to
wrong practice among students regarding standard precaution. Students often
do wrong practice due to the lack of accessibility to equipments like glove,
mask etc. When student go for clinical to a new area they are unaware where
the things are available like gloves and hand washing soap etc. According to
Kim & Hyunjin (2015) student should have free access to protective devices
and should be familiar about their usage. Additionally, students do not know
about the patient diagnose, as in most of the hospitals the patients
information’s are available in electronic system and they have limited access to
patient’s information. The students do not know about the harmful pathogens
of patient and leading in difficulties to maintain proper aseptic techniques (Kim
& Hyunjin, 2015).
Furthermore, I also observed that students often avoid wearing gloves because
of gloves size. A study by Efstathiou, Papastavrou, Raftopoulos, & Merkouris,
(2011) explained nurses feel uncomfortable with the use of gloves improper size
and they prefer not to use it. Moreover, a barrier for student nurses is the senior
nurses with poor aseptic technique behavior. A study did by Kim & Hyunjin
(2015) reveal that nursing students complain that we face difficulty to maintain
aseptic techniques while working with the nurses who do not follow aseptic
technique.
After discussing the barriers that why student nurses do not following the
proper aseptic technique during their clinical practice. I realized that it is
important to find out some strategies to prevent this action of students in
future.
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REFLECTION IN ACTION

First of all I called both of the students and gave teaching about aseptic
techniques especially on wearing gloves and hand washing. As nursing
students are the nurses of future, therefore they should be trained and
educated on regular base about aseptic techniques. Being a clinical preceptor
it is important to assess students and find out the areas of improvement of
students. As in my scenario the students did not wear the gloves while dressing
the patient, when they were asked about the knowledge regarding self and
patient safety in terms of infection control, they replied me that we know that
hand washing and wearing gloves is very important to keep protect themselves
and as well patient. Furthermore, they also verbalized that patient is not
having infectious disease he is a case of RTA. From this I also reflected that
students have knowledge about aseptic techniques, but there is need to
emphasize the students to follow aseptic technique for every patient.
Moreover, the staff nurses should be trained and educate regarding aseptic
techniques as the seniors nurses are the role model for students nurses. Hand
hygiene practice of mentors can play an important role to influence the hand
hygiene practice of students (Labrague, Rosales & Tizon (2012). In addition,
the students should be oriented about ward set up and easily access to aseptic
equipments.
In conclusion, there are different barriers that interfere with the use of aseptic
techniques non compliance for students’ e.g. lack of knowledge, situational
barriers, and lack of easily accessible to equipment, lack of orientation and poor
aseptic behavior of staff nurses etc. By applying different strategies we can help
to enhance students’ knowledge, practice and attitudes towards standard of
infection control. This will lead to a safe and secure environment for patient and
health care professionals.