Clinical Judgment in a Complex Postoperative Case Name Institution Course Instructor Date Clinical Judgment in a Complex Postoperative Case Scenario Summary Recently, I met a very complicat ...

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Clinical Judgment in a Complex Postoperative Case
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Institution
Course
Instructor
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Clinical Judgment in a Complex Postoperative Case
Scenario Summary
Recently, I met a very complicated postoperative patient with a history of Diabetes and hypertension that complicates the management of outpatient follow-up. The patient demonstrated a variability of systolic blood pressure and blood glucose level coupled with moderate to severe pain even though she was on analgesic measures. This became exacerbated by the fact that these symptoms were multifaceted and often interacted with each other. At the same time, efforts to address them had to be made in a way that would not add more volatility. Also, high complexity was attributed to the patient’s need for multiple medications such as insulin and antihypertensive. Proper timing and dosage adjustments were necessary to regulate blood pressure and glucose levels better. This case was particularly pressing because the choices had to be made continuously while attempting to manage the potential competing priorities of different patients.
Why This Clinical Experience Was Challenging
The main challenge in this case was the simultaneous management of pain, hypertension, and hyperglycemia in a single patient who was at high risk of postoperative complications. I had to evaluate and prioritize the problems and learn how combating one problem might contribute to another. For example, pain raises blood pressure, although changes to the pain regimen had to be made carefully because of the consequences on blood glucose and blood pressure. Sorting one intervention against another in terms of the priority level while maintaining the patient's overall stability was the next level of clinical skill. Also, internal attributes like the amount of experience and confidence one has in dealing with such complicated cases influenced my findings. Maintaining a clear, objective analysis of the patient's symptoms was essential to avoid errors in care.
Clinical Judgment Process
Cue Identification and Analysis: In clinical decision-making, cue recognition and assessment are important in determining which aspects of the patient's presentation are most important to focus on. In this case, identifying the internal and external signals formed the basis for enhancing the adequate implementation of the intervention.
Internal Cues (Nurse): Individual characteristics, including the relevant theoretical understanding of diabetes and hypertension care, the extent of prior care experience with patients with multiple co-morbidities, and self-efficacy in decision-making played crucial roles. These internal factors influenced the time I took to determine and address the indicated treatment given by the patient’s status on the monitor.
External Cues (Patient): For the general patient environment, there are the reported pain levels and physical symptoms, the patient's glucose and blood pressure levels, and the reaction to th