Date of Learning: 12/07/2024
Time: 09:30 – 16:30
Title of learning activity: MH disorders and pre & post-op care
Diary of Learning activity
During Today’s session at university, we had a guest lecturer during the morning and spent the afternoon with Joicy. Today’s session marks the final classes for the complex care module and decision making. During the morning session we spent time with Ali, a mental health nurse that works in education and we discussed about mental health disorders. I thought the session was very well organised and it was pleasant because we completed different group activities, and the topics were interesting. Ali stressed the importance of MH disorders and progression, and she explained thoroughly about different conditions. Depression is a mood disorder characterised by persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest. The symptoms are different, depression can cause changes in sleep and appetite, fatigue, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, difficulty concentrating, and suicidal thoughts. Depression can be treated with medications (antidepressants), psychotherapy (cognitive-behavioural therapy), lifestyle changes (exercise, diet). Anxiety Disorders are a group of mental health disorders characterised by significant feelings of anxiety and fear. It can manifest in different types: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Specific Phobias. Main symptoms are restlessness, rapid heartbeat, sweating, trembling, feeling of impending doom. We also discussed about bipolar disorder, which is a mental health condition causing extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression). Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder affecting how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. Some of the symptoms are delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking, lack of motivation, reduced ability to function. I feel this session was great and helped me to expand my knowledge in mental health conditions. During the afternoon session we spent time with Joicy. She explained how the exam on the 1st of August will be structured and we discussed about Pre and post operative care for patients. We Discussed thoroughly the importance of continuously monitoring our patients, A to E assessment and how important is to assess and complete pre op checklist. We discussed the importance of airway management, checking skin, wounds, and operation sites of our patients. Joicy stressed the importance of PONV and post op symptoms and how to manage them. Pre-operative and post-operative care require meticulous planning and execution to ensure patient safety and promote optimal recovery. Addressing both physical and psychological needs of patients leads to better outcomes and enhances overall patient well-being.
KSBs addressed:
| K1 | Understand the code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives and nursing associates (NMC 2018), and how to fulfill all registration requirements |
| K2 | Understand the demands of professional practice and demonstrate how to recognise signs of vulnerability in themselves or their colleagues and the action required to minimise risks to health |
| K3 | Understand the professional responsibility to adopt a healthy lifestyle to maintain the level of personal fitness and well-being required to meet people’s needs for mental and physical care |
| K17 | Understand commonly encountered mental, physical, behavioural and cognitive health conditions as applied to delivery of care |
| K18 | Understand and apply the principles and processes for making reasonable adjustments |
| K19 | Know how and when to escalate to the appropriate professional for expert help and advice |
| K23 | Know how to meet people’s needs related to mobility, hygiene, oral care, wound care and skin integrity |
| K24 | Know how to support people with commonly encountered symptoms including anxiety, confusion, discomfort and pain |
| K32 | Understand what constitutes a near miss, a serious adverse event, a critical incident and a major incident |
| K33 | Understand when to seek appropriate advice to manage a risk and avoid compromising quality of care and health outcomes |
| K34 | Know and understand strategies to develop resilience in self and know how to seek support to help deal with uncertain situations |
| K35 | Understand own role and the roles of all other staff at different levels of experience and seniority in the event of a major incident |
| K36 | Understand the roles of the different providers of health and care |
| S1 | Act in accordance with the Code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives and nursing associates (NMC, 2018), and fulfil all registration requirements |
| S2 | Keep complete, clear, accurate and timely records |
| S8 | Recognise signs of vulnerability in self or colleagues and the action required to minimise risks to health |
| S9 | Develop, manage and maintain appropriate relationships with people, their families, carers and colleagues |
| S10 | Provide, promote, and where appropriate advocate for, non-discriminatory, person-centred and sensitive care at all times, reflecting on people’s values and beliefs, diverse backgrounds, cultural characteristics, language requirements, needs and preferences, taking account of any need for adjustments |
| S11 | Report any situations, behaviours or errors that could result in poor care outcomes |
| S20 | Recognise people at risk of abuse, self-harm and/or suicidal ideation and the situations that may put them and others at risk |
| S21 | Monitor the effectiveness of care in partnership with people, families and carers, documenting progress and reporting outcomes |
| S22 | Take personal responsibility to ensure that relevant information is shared according to local policy and appropriate immediate action is taken to provide adequate safeguarding and that concerns are escalated |
| S23 | Work in partnership with people, to encourage shared decision making, in order to support individuals, their families and carers to manage their own care when appropriate |
| S24 | Perform a range of nursing procedures and manage devices, to meet people’s need for safe, effective and person-centred care |
| S34 | Act in line with local and national organisational frameworks, legislation and regulations to report risks, and implement actions as instructed, following up and escalating as required |
| S35 | Accurately undertake risk assessments, using contemporary assessment tools |
| S36 | Respond to and escalate potential hazards that may affect the safety of people |
| S37 | Participate in data collection to support audit activity, and contribute to the implementation of quality improvement strategies |
| B1 | Treat people with dignity, respecting individual’s diversity, beliefs, culture, needs, values, privacy and preferences |
| B2 | Show respect and empathy for those you work with, have the courage to challenge areas of concern and work to evidence based best practice |
| B3 | Be adaptable, reliable and consistent, show discretion, resilience and self-awareness |