Clinical Reasoning and Decision-Making Skills

Clinical Reasoning and Decision-Making Skills

Making decisions successfully and approaching clinical reasoning from a patient-centered perspective can be challenging. One example is treating and preventing bed sores in older patients. Researchers have examined this topic by creating two groups and monitoring the results. The group that only received instructions had worse results than those who received physical care and support from nurses in preventing bedsores (Kaur et al., 2018).

Thus, the physical implication of nurses is more effective in preventing such conditions, which is why the decision-making process will be based on such evidence. Another scenario often occurring in gerontological care is patients falling and dealing with severe consequences. Researchers concluded that an assessment of all elderly patients is required to manage the care in relation to this particular problem (Pearce, 2017). Thus, seniors with lousy vision, low activity levels, and prescribed certain medications need to be monitored more attentively to prevent falls.

This objective of learning about clinical reasoning and decision-making has helped me assess a problem from the perspective of a healthcare provider for older adults. Caring for seniors is different in regards to particular problems that need to be addressed in practice. As a result, issues such as falls and bedsores are among the significant issues which may occur in such environments. Moreover, they need to be confronted based on evidence from research and current medical information in addition to patients’ personal wishes.

Leadership in the Community and Impact on Older Adults

It is essential to highlight the role of community leaders and organizations in caring for older adult patients. One example is a transportation service that helps the elderly with mobility problems by providing them with transportation (Bond et al., 2017). Such an implementation is helpful for people who cannot access places, including hospitals, by offering them safe rides that take into consideration their possible medical needs. Another example is offering moral support via phone calls. Such a measure was used by medical students during the COVID-19 lockdown as a way of mitigating the consequences of social isolation (Office et al., 2020). Thus, senior citizens were able to feel a human connection without putting themselves at risk for the infection.

I was not aware of such communal support groups, but it is inevitable that they are necessary for both physical and moral support. Due to the importance of such organizations and volunteering proposals, I will make sure to find out more and become an active participant. Leadership in such community-based implementation is crucial, which is why I will try to find a way to create a group that will also offer such help in my own community.