Despite the fact that lumbar puncture is a regular procedure in a clinical setting, many patients can have fears and negative preconceptions about it. For this reason, a nurse practitioner can face several communication challenges, for instance, a lack of patients’ understanding of the puncture. A pessimistic perception and a refusal because of possible risks are problems that arise from this misinterpretation. This issue is especially evident in emergency situations because, in this case getting consent from a patient should be done quickly; moreover, he or she has to be comforted and informed of all the risks.
The goal of a nurse practitioner is to comfort the patient before starting a procedure so that he or she experiences it with as little stress and pain as possible. As Mr. Ortego is reported to be alert and oriented in the question, it is possible for a medical worker to get informed consent out of him. First of all, it would be important to tell about how the process will go, what the doctor will do, and what benefits may it bring. As it is stated, Mr. Ortego suffers from fever, headaches, and vomiting. It is vital to educate him on how lumbar puncture will benefit him in his treatment; however, possible risks should also be addressed,
Even though such honesty may increase the patient’s anxiety, it would benefit the relationship between him and the medical staff in the long run. Considering that increased involvement and physician’s sympathy may improve the patient’s experience, being honest and open may seem like a reasonable solution to communicating challenges (Boissy et al., 2016). It is evident that a nurse practitioner needs education on the topic of overcoming communication barriers so that patients feel comfortable before getting an anxiety-inducing procedure.
Mr. Ortego is about to undergo an unpleasant, but overall common procedure in medicine called a lumbar puncture. While he is experiencing severe symptoms like vomiting and fever, he is still alert and oriented. That is why it is important that before initiating the procedure, a nurse practitioner informs him about it. However, while doing it, a healthcare worker can face some issues because patients often are not familiar enough with this process. Mr. Ortego can be anxious about going through the procedure or refuse altogether, and for this reason, a nurse practitioner should calm him.
Nevertheless, there are no circumstances under which medical staff can conceal the information from a patient, even with the purpose of soothing his fears since it would be unethical. While cooperating with Mr. Ortego, a nurse practitioner should be relaxed and unhurried. The information should be delivered to him in a calm and collected manner so that a patient is reassured. A nurse should report on all the details of the procedure, tell about benefits to Mr. Ortego’s health. At the same time, risks should also be pointed out; for example, a “small risk of a spinal headache, infection, and nerve injury” (Hudgins, 2017, 1280). While this information may cause more distress, a nurse should also address the fact that such risks are low, and the lumbar puncture can positively impact the result of the treatment. In this way, it is guaranteed that a medical worker has made every effort to resolve a communicating issue while also taking ethical rules into account. Moreover, Mr. Ortego would be provided with proper knowledge and, therefore, can give informed consent to undergoing a lumbar puncture.
Reference
Boissy, A., Windover, A. K., Bokar, D., Karafa, M., Neuendorf, K., Frankel, R. M., Rothberg, M. B. (2016). Communication Skills Training for Physicians Improves Patient Satisfaction. Journal of general internal medicine, 31(7), 755-761.
Hudgins, P. A., Fountain, A. J., Chapman, P. R., & Shah, L. M. (2017). Difficult Lumbar Puncture: Pitfalls and Tips from the Trenches. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 38(7), 1276-1283.