My Experience of Helping Others: Opinion Essay

Introduction

Dignity is defined as a human quality associated with worth as a human being and the value of being a person (Jacobson, 2012). I chose to reflect on personal hygiene and appearance in relation to dignity as its one of the fundamentals of care. Personal hygiene is essential in maintaining good health which helps aid the prevention of infection and to promote confidence and self-esteem (Welsh Government, 2003, p.42). Reflective practice is part of our learning process as we can think about what went well, what did not go so well and how it can be improved next time. Jasper (2013) states that reflective practice ensures the development of knowledge and skills in regard to professionalism and helps the development of career through continuous learning. In this report I will be using Gibbs reflective cycle (1988) cited in Jasper (2013) shows that it consists of six stages description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and action plan which will be used to structure the report. Therefore, being able to reflect is vital as it’s a way of learning and also gives an opportunity for improvement.

“In accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) The Code (2018), all names and locations have been changed in order to ensure patient confidentiality”

Description

It is 7am at the beginning of my shift in an elderly medical ward, right after hand over I go over to Ann an elderly patient who is awake and quite alert and I introduce myself and make her aware that I am a student nurse and will be there to help them for the day. I then go ahead and ask Ann if she is ready to have a wash which she happily responded with a yes and would like me to help her with washing and dressing as she wanted to get washed by her bed side and I was very much happy to help her with it. To begin with I ensure that Ann is warm at all times. I then place a towel under her chin, I then go ahead to prompt her to wash her eyes, face, neck and ears. Starting with the arm farthest away Ann washes and dry the top half of her body. I ensure that only the part of the body that is being washed is exposed. Then I help her to wash her genital area from front to back to reduce the risk of urinary tract infection. Then I wash her back and sacrum from top to bottom. I then pat the skin dry to reduce friction damage and then check her skin for pressure damage. To ensure the reduction of infection I ensured that I only used gloves when washing Ann’s genitals and sacrum. The world health organisation (2009) cited in NT Contributor (2019) states that gloves are not required to wash and dress patients. To ensure good skin health I ensured that I used an appropriate amount of both shower gel and moisturiser on her skin. Cowdell (2011) states that personal hygiene plays a significant part in maintaining skin health. Throughout helping Ann with her washing and dressing I ensured that there was privacy by making sure that the curtains around her bed side were closed which maintained dignity (Warnette, 2012).

Feelings

It is very rewarding being able to support Ann to maintain her personal hygiene and appearance (National Pensioners Convention, 2012). Throughout supporting Ann it got me thinking if I was an elderly lady who needed help to do the basics how would I want to be treated. With this in mind supporting Ann became very easy as it meant that I was treating her as I would like to be treated. I was very happy helping Ann and ensured that I took my time with her so that she did not feel rushed.

Evaluation

Being able to work together with Ann has helped build a relationship based on trust where she felt comfortable enough for me to support her. Through this we both had a positive attitude towards her personal hygiene and appearance. Independence is seen as fundamental and vital to nursing practice as it shapes the delivery of care (Reed, Clarke, & Macfarlane, 2011). Therefore, giving Ann control of her own personal hygiene and appearance was essential which meant that in terms of washing, she washed her face, easy to reach areas and dressed herself whilst I was there for support giving her that sense of independence.

Analysis

In recent times more and more people are living longer which means that care needs are increasing. An individual that’s older tends to be frailer which indicates that they need more help and support with day to day activities in order to stay physically and mentally well (Elbourne & Le May, 2019). Enabling Ann to have control and independence over her personal hygiene and appearance gives her the opportunity to make her own decisions. Kampfe (2014) states that older people are usually not informed of their options, not included in decision making or discouraged from making decisions that have a massive impact on their lives. Therefore, Ann being informed of her options rather than being told of her options provides her with a sense of empowerment.

According to Laverack (2016) the health of an individual improves not just based on following instructions but also when they are actively involved in the decision-making process about their own health. There are a range of principles that states that older people in wales should be able to experience human rights and freedom to the fullest especially when living in any care or treatment facility including dignity, privacy and the right to make decisions about their own care (Older Peoples Commissioner for Wales, 2011).

In the same way the environment of a ward from the physical layout and location has a great impact on an older person’s dignity within their day to day routines. Moreover, according to Calnan et al. (2013) evidence suggested that there is an array of reasons why a hospital environment can be seen as the wrong place for older patients. First of all, hospitals have little signs to direct patients through what is seen as same looking corridors and wards which can be very confusing. Ultimately the hospital experience can be very frightening for older people so ensuring that the individual is always informed about what is happening around them and that their personal care and hygiene is key to maintaining high standards of care (Older peoples Commissioner for Wales, 2011).

Kazer and Murphy (2015) stated that being a patient in a hospital setting affects an individual’s dignity, as dignity is related to self-control and research shows that end of life patients dignity is threatened by factors such as dependency, frailty and the need for physical care. They also stated that protecting an individual’s dignity includes confidentiality of information, appropriate communication, information sharing and being treated with respect. Maintaining an older person’s personal hygiene and care is important as it helps prevents the spread of diseases.

According to Dingwall (2010) helping a person to meet their hygiene needs aswell as assisting the individual helps to develop nurse to patient relationships and permits the health professional to assess the patients physical and mental state. This can notify the health professional of any physical changes to the patient’s physical conditions and ability which can then be acted upon immediately. In addition, the role of meeting a patient’s hygiene needs in relations to skin, hair and nail care is important as it promotes individualised dignity and care. However according to Albers et al. (2010) people’s health status appears to have an effect on the perceptions of physical elements that would influence dignity in older people.

Dignity can have an effect on one’s recovery which means that they are in a hospital or clinical setting for longer. Lin et all (2013) asserted that care without dignity can have a negative impact on an individual’s recovery as care that is maintained through dignity promotes emotional wellbeing which therefore enhances recovery. Similarly, the level of staffing also plays an important role in dignity and quality of care. Dignity in care consists of different aspects such as factors contributing to the recruitment and retention of staff include good working conditions, respectful mangers and colleagues, job security and being valued (Benoit & Hallgrimsdottir, 2011). It is clear that constant staff recruitment to safe staffing levels has become the aim in most hospitals within the UK as Williams, Kinnear and Victor (2016) states that whilst the aim is to recruit a range of staff, they could only recruit a limited number of staff which however steered an increased focus on dignity in hands on care. One of the basic principles of dignified care when nursing older people is not forgetting the person according to Soline (2010). In addition, states that it is the little things that makes a difference to how someone feels and believes they are being treated. Treating older patients as individuals is important in person centred care. Just as important being open to involve family members in their care shows that health professionals are there to help in any way they can and not to take away their rights.

Conclusion

Dignity is very complex but ensuring that dignity is maintained at all times is vital. Conversely it is the little things that makes a difference such as making the individual feel valued, comfortable, confident and important through giving them a sense of control and choice. When dignity is not present people can be made to feel lack of control and comfort and devalued. They may also feel embarrassed and ashamed. Dignity applies to everyone weather old or young. Therefore, it is important to treat individuals as we would like to be treated.

Action Plan

As a student nurse I will come across a lot of patients that need help with their personal hygiene and appearance. I would ensure that I maintain dignity the same way as I did with Ann. Dignity is important especially to older people and ensuring that I do this in the most positive way is essential. I would do the exact same thing over and over again as and when the situation arises. Similarly, if I came across young patients that needed help with their personal hygiene and appearance, I would ensure that dignity is also maintained with them and will always treat patients as individuals.