Case Study Scenario

Scenario: You are the lead nurse in the emergency department at St. Theresa’s Hospital. A client is brought in post suicide attempt. The patient has a medical history of depression and schizophrenia and is now hallucinating. There is no available psychiatrist now and the nearest facility with a psychiatric unit is 1-hour away. The patient does not have a profile in the health information exchange (HIE). St Theresa’s Hospital is a Tri-State Health Care Alliance Member. Tri-State has links with the regional hospital where a psychiatrist is present in the emergency department. The nurse practitioner has asked for your assistance. Describe how you would plan and facilitate a teleconference and/or videoconference.

Include the following:

-Explain the indication for a teleconference and/or videoconference (specific to this case).

-Explain how you will prepare for the conference? (Include rationale.)

-Which team members should attend the conference? Why?

-List three agenda items (with rationale) for the conference.

-How will you conclude the conference? Why is this important?

-Length: 2 pages (not including title or reference pages)

-APA format

Book used for this assignment: Hebda, T. L., & Czar, P. (2013). Handbook 

Telehealth

Describing how I would plan and facilitate a video conference

According to the case study, a patient is admitted to the post-suicide attempt unit and has a medical history of schizophrenia and depression and is currently hallucinating.  However, the facility at the time of the patient’s admission did not have a psychiatrist on duty, and the nearest healthcare center with a psychiatric unit was one hour drive.  However, the hospital (St. Theresa’s Hospital) is a Tri-State Health Care Alliance Member and has connections with the regional hospital where a psychiatrist is present in the emergency department. Given this situation, it is important for the nurse practitioner at the facility to use video conferencing to communicate with the psychiatrist at the regional hospital. Through video conferencing, the nurse practitioner can share the patient’s test results as well as the present signs and symptoms and get directed on what to do to enhance the well-being of the patient (Hebda & Czar, 2013). The major benefit of using video conferencing in this case scenario is the ability of the nurse practitioner to communicate directly with the psychiatrist at the regional hospital to help her/him in administering appropriate care and treatment to the patient in question.

How I Will Prepare For the Conference

To prepare for the conference, I will make sure that that the nurse practitioner has all important information regarding the condition of the patient. Afterward, I will direct the nurse practitioner to sign in to the facility video conferencing website and identify the psychiatry at the regional hospital. Once the psychiatric gets online from the other end, they(nurse practitioner and the psychiatrist) can discuss the patient test results and the presenting signs and symptoms and the psychiatrist will give a way forward regarding the appropriate treatment for the patient. The reason for doing all these is to ensure that the patient gets appropriate treatment through one-on-one communication between the nurse practitioner and the psychiatrist at the regional hospital.

The Team Members That Should Attend the Conference

The team members that should attend the conference include the nurse informatics, the nurse practitioner, the patient, a pharmacist, and the social worker. The primary objective of including the patient in the conference is for the psychiatrist to see his/her presenting symptoms to make an accurate diagnosis. The nurse practitioner is responsible for providing the psychiatric with both subjective and objective data of the patient while the pharmacist will note down the prescribed medications for the patient.  The social worker, in contrast, is to provide advocacy and case management and counseling if necessary.

Three Agenda Items

  1. To discuss with the psychiatrist the patients subjective and objective data following his admission to ensure that appropriate diagnosis is made
  2. To discuss with the psychiatrist the appropriate treatment and medical prescriptions for the patient  to enhance his well-being because he has a medical history of schizophrenia and depression and is currently hallucinating
  3. To design a nursing intervention program for the patient to speed up his recovery process

How I would conclude the Conference

I would conclude the conference by highlighting the treatment options and prescriptions recommended by the psychiatrists. The aim doing so is to avoid medication errors and ensure that the patient access appropriate care and treatment.  Lastly, I will thank the psychiatrist for sparing his time to address our concerns and inform him that I will get in touch to notify him about the progress of the patient so that he can recommend another treatment option if the prescription made is not yielding significant outcomes. 

References

  1. Hebda, T. L., and Czar, P. (2013). Handbook of Informatics for Nurses  and Healthcare Professionals. (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
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