Clinical Judgement

By Published on October 3, 2025
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    1. QUESTION

    Jean is an 88-year-old widow with four grown sons and numerous grandchildren. She was living alone, caring for her own home for the past 35 years since her husband died. At home, Jean could make meals, take care of her hygiene, pay her bills, and use the bathroom on her own. She had enjoyed being at home and continued to take care of herself and her home. One day she developed mild abdominal pain. She thought it was related to something she ate, but it persisted, so she decided to go to her family doctor. She was not concerned about the cost of seeing a doctor as she had excellent health care coverage under her deceased husband’s insurance. Jean was taken to the clinic and underwent lab tests and a CT scan, for which her doctor concluded she had ovarian cancer. Since the treatment would not provide a cure, she opted to let cancer take its course. The clinic nurse told Jean to call if she needed anything. Jean was a strong independent woman, as she had to be after becoming a widow at such a young age. But now, she was facing an unexpected diagnosis of cancer
    ANS
    In this case study, words that stand out for me include an 88-year-old widow, living alone, caring, making meals, taking care of personal hygiene, paying her bills, and using the bathroom without assistance. Besides, other words include lab tests and a CT scan, ovarian cancer, a strong independent woman, and an unexpected cancer diagnosis. 
    Rationally, these words stand out in the case study as they provide the background and gist of the situation as presented in the case study. They primarily help in developing a deeper understanding of the subject's (Jean) detailed behaviors. For example, in the provision of her age and the aspect of her husband's death, the case assists us in understanding some of the challenges that she had to undergo in the quest to make provisions for the family and keep in good health. Besides, in every medical situation, a patient's history is useful in determining the containment measures for the various underlying conditions, thereby making patient-centered care a possibility (Treas et al., 2018). Without proper examination of a clients' background, health service providers run the risk of recommending treatment and containment measures that, instead of increasing the recovery process, worsens it, thereby demeaning the quality of the outcome.
    In this part of the case study, the included primary aspects of health are significant toward involving the patient in the care process through collaborations and shared decision-making. The main aspects of personal health included in this part comprise of emotional, social, and physical (American Nurses Association, 2015). Several factors help determine the physical aspects of health, including nutrition and diet, physical activities, medical self-care, and rest, among others, which vividly express themselves in the case. The social aspects of health also prove essential in this case as Jean remains behind with a family that she has to care for after the demise of the husband. This further blends with the emotional aspect, which also influences the quality of the outcome and the recovery process of every illness. These aspects of her old age and family are among the factors that healthcare providers must consider as respect as the patient remains actively involved in making suggestions concerning feasible treatment options like in Jean’s case. 
    Conversely, to achieve patient centered care, all the health stakeholders have to consider the various aspects of health, including physical, social, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Through a consideration of these aspects, every clinical decision is then guided by patient values, which then makes the care more respectful, responsive, and incorporating patients' needs and preferences (Treas et al., 2018). Furthermore, Jean's daily activities, including making meals, taking care of her hygiene, paying her bills, and using the bathroom on her own, form part of her functional ability in the home setting. Despite her age, her strength becomes explicit through these activities, and with an impressive medical cover that would not help provide a cure, it was essential in keeping her condition monitored and well attended. Therefore, while caring for her during the new diagnosis, the clinical experts must embrace a collaborative, accessible and coordinated care to ensure, physical and emotional well-being. 
    That is the answer to stage 1. To be used to answer these questions with more literature backup.

    Question
    Stage 3 Questions

    Reflect on your answers to part I of the case study. Did Jean’s desire for independence stand out to you as important? If the staff knew Jean valued her independence, how could they have used this information to promote safety?
    Explain how clinical forethought is used to predict potential complications and what it means to you as a future nurse.
    Describe the value of seeing healthcare through the patient’s eyes. How can nurses have an impact on the lives of patients like Jean?

    Rubic Grading
    Describes the value of seeing through the patient's eyes
    35.0 pts
    Level 4
    Describes the value in an in-depth, comprehensive, and insightful view.
    Explain the use of clinical forethought to predict possible complications
    40.0 pts
    Level 4
    Provides an in-depth, insightful explanation of clinical forethought and reflects on how nurses predict possible complications.

    Reference
    Please include this in your reference
    Treas, L. S., Wilkinson, J. M., Barnett, K. L., & Smith, M. H. (2018). Basic Nursing: Thinking, Doing, and Caring(2nd ed.).

     

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Subject Nursing Pages 3 Style APA
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Answer

Clinical Judgement

Patient Independence

The fact that Jean is a strong independent woman stood out when considering her case, a factor which deeper consideration by the staff would have reshaped the care guidance given Jean and eventually ensured her safety in tremendous ways. Independence promotes optimal level of well-being of patients. Treas et al. (2018) argue in favor of patient-centric models in patient care while providing containment measures. Home ovarian cancer containment measures prescribed to Jean would be centered on her functional abilities in the home setting. The nurse’s role in promoting self-care and counselling based on the centrality of its importance as intricately consequential in their recovery is utmost in the profession (Hughes, 2004). This understanding and course of action would have influenced the outcome of Jean’s visit by ensuring her safety in sparkling hope by taking advantage of her responsible nature as one who values her independence in enhancing safety, rather than letting the terminal disease take its own course in her life.

Patient self-management is a structured method that would have ensured Jean is granted skills and knowledge to manage her cancer condition and ensure stability or slower deterioration. This couples with her ability to handle social and emotional issues related to the long-term illness. Triberti, et al. (2019) argued that patients who take a more active role in managing their health are more likely to stick to treatment plans and often experience an improved quality of life. In Jean’s case, this would include providing a framework for use of technology in containment of breast cancer. Therefore, Jean’s lifestyle would have been intricately used to enhance her safety.

Clinical Forethought

The aspect of clinical forethought refers to the use of patient information to predict and anticipate a clinical outcome, upon underscoring and perceiving salient aspects of the condition.  As nursing practice requires holistic view, clinical forethought is an essential component of clinical judgement that distinguishes them from undertaking purely technical roles (Barker, Linsley & Trueman, 2016). With experiential knowledge, clinical forethought can be used to predict potential complications based on previous encounters, for example, patients with ovarian cancer have a certain clinical trajectory that ends at similar eventuality. With the best scientific understanding of a specific patient problem, effective clinical forethought is enhanced through clinical wisdom. Think-in-action model will ensure prediction of eventualities by use of clinical information provided by a patient, thereby increasing the degree of accuracy in prediction of a complication when comparing to past experiences with similar information. Developing good maps of patient vulnerability will ensure accuracy of predicting complications and risks, eventually averting dangers for particular patients. Such knowledge is essential for nursing practice.

Healthcare through Patient’s Eyes

 Patient-centered care focuses on more on patient’s perspectives, and thus needs more than the particulars of the disease, part of which is looking through the patient’s eyes. Substantial care is provided when the patient is involved in the model of their own care and safety, which implies that engrafting their lifestyle and practices in the process is an aspect that tremendously impacts recovery or management of a condition (Groene, 2017). The aspect of seeing through the patient’s eyes goes beyond quality rating and patient satisfaction to comfortability in engagement. Introducing care that would anchor on Jean’s livelihood would enhance her own comfortability and ensure effectiveness of the containment measures put in place.

 

 

 

References

Barker, J., Linsley, P., & Trueman, I. (2016). Clinical judgement and decision making. Evid Based Pract Nurses Healthc Professionals45.

Groene, O. (2017). Through the patient’s eyes: 25 years of quality and safety research and the challenges ahead.

Hughes, S. A. (2004). Promoting self-management and patient independence. Nursing Standard (through 2013)19(10), 47.

Treas, L. S., Wilkinson, J. M., Barnett, K. L., & Smith, M. H. (2018). Basic nursing: Thinking, doing, and caring. FA Davis Company.

Triberti, S., Savioni, L., Sebri, V., & Pravettoni, G. (2019). eHealth for improving quality of life in breast cancer patients: a systematic review. Cancer treatment reviews74, 1-14.

 

 

 

 

Appendix

Appendix A:

Communication Plan for an Inpatient Unit to Evaluate the Impact of Transformational Leadership Style Compared to Other Leader Styles such as Bureaucratic and Laissez-Faire Leadership in Nurse Engagement, Retention, and Team Member Satisfaction Over the Course of One Year

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