Driscoll Model of Reflection in Clinical Practice - Essay Example

"Driscoll Model of Reflection in Clinical Practice" is a great example of a paper on care. Reflection is a method used in clinical practice, where one expresses the experiences from practice, therefore, helping him or her to learn and improve skills and apply the knowledge gained during future practice (Cottrell, 2011:2; Schon, 1984). I will use the Driscoll model of reflection to present my understanding of the issues that I faced during the case study described. This case study involves a reflection about a military patient that I provided care for after getting an eye injury following blunt trauma. He was in pain and quite distressed that he could not see with his right eye.

The duty of a nurse is to provide care for the patients. When the soldier was brought to the healthcare facility, there was a fundamental legal and professional issue that I thought about (Johns, 2000:23). As a nurse, my professional role required me to treat the soldier with care, compassion, and respect his rights without considering other external controls for example, who he had killed in the war. Although I am not an advocate of war as it brings many casualties, I had to perform my duties autonomously, therefore, maintaining professional values. I had to see the soldier as a patient who needed my help. I learned that nurses have to separate emotions and provide care for all the patients regardless of their legal or professional status (Barrows and Pickell, 1991:3).

The patient’s history is crucial when one needs to make a diagnosis. Therefore, it is important to listen keenly to the patient and understand their symptoms and how they could have contracted an illness or received an injury (Barnes, 2003; Epstein, Perkin, Cookson, and de Bono, 2003). In my case, I keen as the soldier told me about his ordeal and how he came about an eye injury. As I listened to his story I realized that he had been hit in the face with a blunt object, which had even caused temporary blindness in his right eye. He was concerned that he would not see again but I assured him that there was hope since the doctors and the nurses would put all their effort into ensuring that he is able to see again. I learned that communication and the application of a well-structured history would provide the required assistance in diagnosing any patient (Seidal et al. 2010:10).

In order to find solutions for the patients in the medical facilities, doctors and nurses need to learn many problem-solving. By looking at the patient’s history and recalling what he had said, I was able to analyze the problem quickly and come up with the required solution. I learned that in problem-solving one had to come up with a strategy or discuss with the colleagues how to go about the situation (Egan, 1998:27).

Physical examinations need to be thorough and done using the right techniques to ensure that they are accurate and that the nurse does not overlook any procedure (Springhouse 2008). I was thorough with the physical examination of the soldier and I was able to detect minor fractures that had caused him to feel more pain. I learned that a nurse should ensure that a physical examination is conducted using the right technique to ensure that an accurate diagnosis is made (Bickley, 2008:17).

Effective communication is important when one is taking the patient’s history and during the treatment to help the patient recover (Kurtz, Silverman and Draper, 2005:18). I fostered a supportive environment with the soldier and every time we had a conversation I would always remind him that he was going to be fine. I would assure him that he would regain sight and I would show empathy and offer emotional support by encouraging him to stay positive because he would be fine. I realized that offering encouragement to the patients motivated them and helped them in the recovery process. Through effective communication, I was able to see the soldier progress and there was evidence that he had seen a ray of hope after a while (Silverman, Kurtz and Draper, 2004:13).

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