Reflective journal

Journal #3- Case on patient with symptoms of Covid-19

Ki Li

Identify something about nursing or healthcare you find difficult to handle. What is this situation and how do you think you will overcome this or work it through?

With this worldwide pandemic of Covid-19, nurse and patient interaction is difficult. Nurses are the go to person when patients are in their vulnerable states. In many cases, nurses have different roles from being an educator to being counselors. In the most emotional moments, they are the ones who uses therapeutic touch and hold one’s hand to provide reassurance and validation. However, during this pandemic, therapeutic touch is merely impossible. Protecting one selves and the patient by promoting social distance is said to be the safest option.  Limiting visitation is another protocol that seems to be taking over hospitals to protect any spread of covid-19. However, this may induce feeling of isolation for the patients.  Nurses assessment are acquired from both subjective and objective data, and with this limited interaction, it seems that the non-verbal cues, and facial expressions expressed by patient may be ignored.

We do not know when vaccines would be available at this time, and when this pandemic would stop. Therefore, there needs to be a new innovation of how to interact with patients during this era. As a student nurse, it feels like a dilemma when encountered with patient who really needs the therapeutic touch. My fear of getting Covid-19 and spreading this to my family is scary. However, with limited visitation, it really makes it difficult for patients to get the comfort they deserve from families.  Confronted in difficult situation, I may offer my hand if that helps patient calm down. I would probably need to wear extra layers of gloves and more frequent hand washing after interaction with patients.