Helping people with different illness and conditions is what the medical profession is all about and it can be a great career. However, as more people are developing complex conditions and illnesses, it can be a challenge when trying to help them.
Personalized healthcare
When studying to become an ARNP Nurse at universities such as Wilkes, you will learn more about diseases, clinical assessment and decision making. This is, without doubt, useful knowledge to have. In addition, when you undertake a placement or work in healthcare full-time, you will work with patients who have a combination of illnesses and conditions, or other more complex needs. As a result, certain treatments or medications may not be suitable; they could cause side effects if taken together or be unsuitable for several other reasons.
A doctor might try several different options before finding the best one. You will need to monitor the patient to assess for any potential problems and be quick to find a solution if there are any complications
It can also be challenging to help people whose complicated medical conditions are unlikely to improve and having to accept that the best you can do it relieve the pain and make them feel comfortable.
Working with other healthcare professionals
Because of more complex/multiple conditions, you will need to work more closely with other who specialize in treating them. While you’re probably used to working in a team, it can be challenging to ensure you have all the required information from different sources when you need it. If at all unsure, you should double check. Although it’s not always possible to get this information as quickly as you’d like. The best way to avoid this problem is by trying to gather all the information you might need before you’re likely to need it. Working with other professionals is also a good way of keeping track of new treatments.
Getting the patient to communicate
Although test results are always the best way to find out whether conditions are improving or deteriorating, or if there are side effects from previous treatments, speaking to the patient can also help to provide clues on any potential problems. It’s impossible to think of and test for everything, but getting patients to communicate isn’t always straightforward.
There are several reasons patients might not share information. They may think they’re being a nuisance and not want to cause any bother. They could have trust issues and bad experiences of the healthcare system, or there could be some other reason. To overcome this particular challenge, the first step is to try to learn why. Getting them to open up means showing patience, explaining why it’s important to know if they have any undisclosed problems and how you want to help them.
While working with people with multiple conditions has its challenges, and can affect the care you’re able to offer, when you help them and breakdown any barriers, it can be rewarding to see the results.
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