The case of Claudia assisted me in exercising my leadership skills in relation to ethical practice and safe patient care. Nurses’ leadership opportunities arise in all areas of practice, including the decision-making process. Claudia’s situation raised the question of the most suitable contraception strategy that would preserve the patient’s health, avoiding dangerous and unreliable methods. Therefore, as a nursing leader, I had to use my expertise to provide the patient with potential solutions. I also acknowledged the patient’s personal risks (smoking) as a factor in informing her about available options. Exercising my knowledge and my leadership skills, I was able to suggest the most cost-effective, reliable, and safe option for the patient.
The competency area of ethics implies that nurses assess the consequences of all healthcare-related decisions and consider ethical solutions for problems (NONPF, 2017). In advising the patient, I reviewed previous research about different contraception approaches. I addressed the risks of each method and the consequences that the patient might encounter using each of them. As a result, my decision to recommend a non-hormonal IUD was informed by clinical studies and available data. The consideration of the patient’s past experiences, personal wishes, and future changes also affected my choice. My attitude towards the patient’s decision and my care were influenced by my commitment to ethical principles of care. Furthermore, my suggestions were in line with the legal statutes. I also acknowledged the patient’s culture and needs in discussing contraception, as this question may be sensitive for some communities.
Patient-centered care is a concept that lies at the foundation of contemporary nursing. According to the standards of this approach, patients’ views on their wellbeing as well as their faith, wishes, fears, and culture have to be acknowledged in the process of care delivery. Thus, patient-centered treatment does not always depend only on the decisions of medical professionals, and patients have a level of authority in choosing treatment options.
Ethical principles in nursing constitute a number of rules that any nurse should consider when making decisions and exercising authority. Some of these principles are autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice. For instance, nonmaleficence implies that nurses should do no harm to patients. In this case, the correct choice of a contraceptive method had to be selected on the base of minimal risks and side effects.
Apart from widening my experience with adult patients, this assignment also helped me to exercise ethical decision-making. Patient-centered care implies that the patient’s specific needs have to be addressed while allowing this person to have a level of independence and freedom of choice. Thus, I had to focus on informing Claudia about the ways in which her issue can be solved to reduce negative consequences. As an APN, I had knowledge that patients do not usually possess, and it was my duty to frame it in a way to help the patient make a decision. Here, my leadership qualities and experience supported my care delivery and guided my actions. I also applied the principles of ethical nursing to the case in order to provide safe care.
Respiratory System: Description
The human respiratory system (RS) is known as the system of organs that allows obtaining oxygen from air, delivering it to the necessary organs, and exhale carbon dioxide (CO2). The RS consists of lungs, which maintain the continuous flow of oxygen and remove gaseous products from the human body (Kon & Rai, 2016). The RS also contains the airways, which are categorized into lower and upper ones, and which serve the purpose of pumping air, whereas the oxygen that it contains is delivered to specific organs with the help of red blood cells (Kon & Rai, 2016). Despite the clockwork mechanism of the system, the RS is rather fragile since its performance can be disrupted once airways are blocked. The resulting experience of problems breathing and even possible suffocation may cause severe consequences from oxygen deprivation to death (Kon & Rai, 2016). Therefore, the case under analysis, which involves seemingly minor concerns, particularly, cough, needs an in-depth analysis.
Physiology: Structure and Function
The upper respiratory tract consists of the nasal cavity, nostrils, pharynx, epiglottis, and larynx (Boore, Cook, & Shepherd, 2016). The lower respiratory tract, in turn, is composed of trachea, esophagus, pulmonary vessels, intercostal muscles, left and right lungs, heart, bronchi
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