NURS 6052 DISCUSSION: PATIENT PREFERENCES AND DECISION MAKING

I enjoyed reading your post and i agree.  A few months ago, a woman with pelvic discomfort was admitted to the hospital. In addition to fever, nausea, and vomiting, she has been experiencing significant discomfort. She is a 25-year-old primary school teacher. She is originally diagnosed with appendicitis after an examination. However, following a series of tests, including a complete blood count and an ultrasound, it is discovered that she also has ovarian torsion in addition to appendicitis. In reality, an exploratory laparotomy was performed instead of the anticipated appendectomy. During pre-surgery tests, it was discovered that her mother and sister also had ovarian cancer. There are several factors that put her at risk for the illness, including her young age and past HPV infection. An alternative was presented by the doctor in charge of her care. According to Opperman et al. (2016), ovarian cancer prevention or prophylaxis is the goal of this procedure, which involves removing her ovaries. In addition, the chances of conceiving naturally will be reduced by this procedure. The choice to have a child is a natural part of life, but she is expected to feel apprehensive and stressed about the process. She has options to get an oophorectomy or wait for cancer and battle it with regular testing and treatment. After the ovaries and potentially the fallopian tubes have been removed, the patient will begin menopause (The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 2019). According to The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. (2019), the probability of conceiving naturally is nil since the organ required has been surgically removed.Empathy for the patient’s situation is critical in nursing care. Hoffman, Montori & Del Mar (2014) explains that putting children in such a scenario is difficult, and good counselling is required. Her alternatives need to be laid out and discussed with a multidisciplinary team to make an informed decision. Since her ailment necessitated aid from the medical community and friends and family members, nurses are in a position to gauge the strength of her social support network. Anxiety may be reduced by relaxing the atmosphere, minimizing unneeded stimuli, and prescribing medication, if required, to alleviate the symptoms (Hoffman et al., 2014). The use of open-ended inquiries and the encouragement of the client to express themselves is essential to having a holistic discourse with the client. 

References 

Hoffman, T. C., Montori, V. M., & Del Mar, C. (2014). The connection between evidence-based medicine and shared decision making. Journal of the American Medical Association, 312(13), 1295–1296. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.10186 

Opperman, C., Liebig, D., Bowling, J., & Johnson, C. S., & Harper, M. (2016). Measuring return on investment for professional development activities: Implications for practice. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 32(4), 176–184. doi:10.1097/NND.0000000000000483 

The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. (2019). Patient decision aids. Retrieved from https://decisionaid.ohri.ca/