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Introduction

This assignment will illustrate instances wherein reflection as a nursing approach has helped me in my professional and personal development. This assignment is about my nursing experiences during my first clinical placement. This assignment also relates and focuses on patient confidentiality. I have chosen Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle framework for reflection. I hope to demonstrate my ability to reflect on a specific incident during which I have observed and practiced. During this process of reflection, I aim to demonstrate my ability to link theory to practice. Reflection has also enabled me to have a better understanding of myself and my professional practice. During this process, I became aware of some uncomfortable feelings which have stemmed from experiences which I needed to explore to identify the root of my concerns. Having analysed these feelings and knowledge, I hope that this assignment would illustrate that as a reflective new practitioner, I have arrived at new perspectives and action plans. According to Gibbs (1998) Reflective Cycle provides a straight forward and structural framework and encourages a clear description of the situation, analysis of feelings, evaluation of the experience, analysis to make sense of the experience, conclusion where other options are considered and reflection upon experience to examine what the professional would do should the situation arise again. ...read more.

Middle

Ward 1988 argues that patients can see some of nursing care being carried out and that they discuss this among themselves. Ward also argues that handover is for discussing nursing care and diagnosis. Nursing care, however, should be treated as confidentially as diagnosis, as this is personal to each individual patient. Upon reflection, I realised that trust is at the heart of the nurse/patient relationship. Implicit within the duty of care owed to the patient is the duty to recognise the right of the patient to have personal information relating to him/her confidential. Although, taking this to the extreme, my patient, Ted could have easily seen what I did, albeit unintentionally, as a breach of his confidentiality. This could have had a negative impact on my conduct as a nurse. This was an experience that made me think deeper about my responsibility regarding patient confidentiality. Confidentiality is a duty ingrained within the NMC (2008) The code -Standard of conduct, performance and ethics and it is also ingrained within NHS contract of employment of nurses. The Trust where I was allocated for my first placement has a Confidentiality and Disclosure of Personal Information Protocol which I found very helpful. ...read more.

Conclusion

However how abstract it may appear, patient's medical history forms a part of who they are. Their 'story' belongs to them. To ignore or minimise the precious nature of the person's 'story' is to imperil them; exposing the person to anxieties and insecurities of which we may know little, and understand even less. Patient's medical history belongs to him/her and should be treated with utmost safeguards, respect and confidentiality. I would still use the proforma because I have found it useful. However, I will anonymise as much as possible information that I write on it. At the end of the shift, I will shred the proforma that I wrote on and discard it safely to ensure that I protect patient confidentiality. According to Grey et al (2000), the delivery of hand over is the key to the overall delivery of high quality nursing care. I believe that this particular nursing action should always have 'patient confidentiality' at the heart of the process. I have gained a lot of experience from my first placement and have reflected on these and my nursing actions. I have developed professionally and personally as nurse and I have a better understanding of patient confidentiality. ...read more.

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our University Degree Problem Based Learning cases section.