During my nursing practice, I have observed several unwanted but hypothetically preventable situations where medical professionals committed errors. The vast majority of them were derivable one way or another from ill-organized communication between the personnel and the patients. Tiwary et al. highlight that insufficient interaction is likely to cause complications that may be dangerous up to a life hazard (2019). Assumedly, this happens because of wasting time and a consequent deterioration of the condition.
Those who came to the clinic sometimes had to sit in the hall for hours until a practitioner finally had a possibility to examine them. Furthermore, some of the nursing staff were prejudiced towards emotionally disturbed patients, assuming them all to be drug abusers. Once, such attitude resulted into a nerve crisis of an adolescent with a mental disability. She was apparently scared and disoriented, which made her sway from side to side whining. However, the nurse who was present in the hall regarded that as normal actions of drug addicts she was, according to her, extremely tired of. The lack of proper attention and care aggravated the girl’s state, but nobody came to her until her behavior grew hysterical.
That occasion illustrated the relevance of special attention towards adolescent patients, which was inserted into the policy of the clinic. If that had been done earlier, the crisis would not have occurred, as the personnel would have questioned the girl immediately and decided what she needed. The point is that adolescents are particularly vulnerable to mental disorders, primarily, anxiety and depressive ones, but not inclined to seek medical aid because of being ashamed (Sheehan, 2017). Therefore, they need additional respect and care, so that it is possible to identify the root of their trouble. To improve the quality of medical service the clinic provides, it is critical to treat the patients who belong to at-risk groups with dignity.
Reference
Sheehan, R. (2017). Mental illness in children: Childhood illness and supporting the family. Brain Sciences, 7(8), 97-100. Web.
Tiwary, A., Rimal, A., Paudyal, B., Sigdel, K. R., & Basnyat, B. (2019). Poor communication by health care professionals may lead to life-threatening complications. Wellcome Open Research, 4(7). Web.