Month: October 2022

During the pandemic I talked to my grandma quite often as she was pretty nervous about what was going on. Thankfully, she lives with my uncle and has other family close by so she was never by herself. She did talk about how she was sad she wasn’t able to go to church and the senior center and often felt isolated in her house. However, she did call her friends and sister almost every day, and started writing letters to her college roommates, which they still do today. I think she was as stressed about the pandemic as I expected and was nervous about getting covid. but found some good ways to cope with being stuck inside. 

            I learned some new information about older adults from this presentation, specifically that they are very resilient yet need emotional support as well. Many older adults suffer from loneliness and depression, so it is important to provide them with support whether that be in the hospital or in an outpatient setting. Helping elderly patients improve their wellbeing might include making sure they are adhering to their medication, have food resources, and things they might need close by such as glasses and hearing aids. It is also important to provide mental health resources to older adults, and make sure that they know they have support. This presentation changed my perspective on aging as I found out older adults are much more resilient than I thought.

Before this presentation I was not aware of the difference between telehealth and telemedicine. I had become more familiar with telehealth during the pandemic, as I had a few medical appointments on telehealth when I couldn’t go into the providers office. I think that telehealth visits have become a great option for many, as it can be much more convenient than having to go into your provider’s office. I had not heard about telemedicine in acute care until this presentation so I was not sure what teleICU nurses and providers were able to do with this technology. I learned that nurses who work in tele medicine are able to continuously monitor the patient, and alert the nurses and provider of any changes. I also learned that they can help guide the nurses on the floor in doing procedures if they are having trouble.

            I believe that telehealth and telemedicine have had a positive influence on nursing, especially since the pandemic. Telehealth visits can make it easier for the provider to see more patients, and is often the more convenient option for the patient, if they can’t get time off work, or find childcare etc. Telemedicine in acute care seems to be a huge help to everyone on the care team. Nurses can’t be in two places at once, so it is great to have someone who is keeping an eye on your patients even if they are not physically on the floor. I think that telemedicine in acute care will contribute to more positive patient outcomes. Being able to continuously monitor the patient and recognizing changes quickly will lead to a better quality of care. If I end up working on a floor that offers telemedicine, I will use that to make the quality of my patients care better. I think using what I learned about telehealth and telemedicine will help me recognize changes quicker, and help me be more confident in my care, as my patients will be continuously monitored. 

Before this presentation I had heard of needle exchange programs but did not know too much about them. I knew that some needle exchange programs would take dirty needles from clients and give them clean ones. One preconceived notion I had about needle exchange problems was that needle exchange was the only service provided. I now know that there are many services provided to clients such as blood tests, safe supplies, Narcan, and test strips. I was also not too familiar with the concept of harm reduction, but this presentation gave me a better background on it. This presentation gave me better knowledge of how “meeting people where they are at” works much better than stigmatizing drug use and shaming clients for it.

I think harm reduction is a good way to help resolve healthcare disparities with this affected population. I believe that educating people about harm reduction will also help stigma around this issue as some people believe the principle of harm reduction is not effective, and don’t agree with the idea of needle exchange. Many people who use drugs also experience mental health issues, so being able to provide free and accessible mental health services would also help improve this healthcare disparity. I will apply what I learned in this presentation to nursing practice. I will be mindful of how I care for patients who use drugs and provide them resources if they would like them.