CENTRAL UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF NURSING

COURSE CODE: NSNG 417

COURSE TITLE: NURSING PRACTICAL XII (AREA OF
PRACTICE)
COURSE LECTURER: MS. THYWILL AMENUVEVE DEGLEY
ASSIGNMENT: ACADEMIC PAPER
STUDENT NAME: MOSES BOTCHWAY
INDEX NUMBER: NUR/20/03/2247
DATE: FEBRUARY, 2022
SIGNATURE:
 MY ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES AS A PAEDIATRIC NURSE AT

THE ADA EAST DISTRICT HOSPITAL

ABSTRACT

The role of the paediatric nurse cannot be over emphasised enough. It is therefore no surprise

countries, Ghana included, are investing heavily in the training of paediatric nurses to help improve

the health status of the sick child and maintain the health of the well-child. Also, more health facilities

are sending out staff to be trained in this regard to assist reduce child morbidity and mortality. The

aim of this paper therefore is to describe the work of the paediatric nurse. The paper draws on the

changing role of the charge nurse, the concept of labour and barning and clinical governance in the

filed of nursing. The diverse cadres within the paediatric nursing scope, working within the paediatric

unit of the Ada East District Hospital, nursing care procedures and three motives in paediatric nursing

to achieve optimal outcome are discussed in this paper as well. The work on the paediatric nurse

evolves around attending to patients aged 0 to 18 years, assessing and checking their vitals, initiating

diagnostic tests, administration of medications and performance of minor procedures and creating a

therapeutic environment as well as a treatment plan and coordination of follow-up medical care. It

uses a family-centred approach to achieve this.

 CHANGING ROLE OF THE CHARGE NURSE

INTRODUCTION

This term paper speaks of my works as a paediatric nurse in the Ada East District Hospital. A

paediatric nurse is a registered general nurse who has earned an additional year of training

specialising in caring for the paediatric population. The paediatric population spans the ages of 0 to

18.

The work of the paediatric nurse follows a systematic process to diagnose and treat and also promote

health in children. Beyond this basic scope, the paediatric nurse also performs other roles, including

playing the role of the charge nurse, organising trainings for staff and helping to develop educational

health programmes among others for the general population.

This paper also covers the roles of other professionals within the area of practice of the paediatric

nurse. The specific roles as well and task description and challenges faced by paediatric nurses are

discussed in this paper.

The paper touches on bargaining rights as well as clinical governance, the space within which the

paediatric nurse functions. Functional, primary care, team care and total care are discussed as well.

Ultimately, this paper zooms in on the work of the paediatric nurses and the environmental factors

that enables the speciality, areas that need retouch to enhance the work of the paediatric nurse and

factors that need to be eliminated to facilitate the work of the paediatric nurse.
REGISTERED NURSES

Registered nurses are increasingly becoming part of primary care teams; however, nursing roles and

responsibilities vary widely between organizations. Policymakers are urging a closer examination of

how registered nurses should be used in primary care teams (Norful et al., 2017).

Key Responsibilities

 Perform physical assessment and health histories for planning care

 Provide health promotion, counselling and education

 Administration of drugs and other individualized interventions

ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSES (APRN)

According to Lofgren et al., (2017), advanced practice registered nursing is a nursing profession

guided by a collection of state practice and licensure laws that allows for nurse practioners to evaluate

patients, diagnose, order and interpret diagnostic tests, initiate and manage treatments, including

prescribe medications.

APRN’S PRACTICE SPECIALIST ROLES

 Nurse practioners prescribe medication, diagnose, and treat minor illnesses and injuries

 Certified Nurse-Midwives provide gynecological and low-risk obstetrical care

 Clinical Nurse Specialist handle a wide range of physical and mental health problems

 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetics administer more than 65 percent of all anesthesia
LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSES

Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), also known as Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs), are members

of the core health-care team who operate under the supervision of a registered nurse (RN), an

advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), or a physician. They ensure patients' well-being

throughout their health-care journey by delivering basic and routine treatment (Lofgren et al., 2017).

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor vital signs and seek for indicators of deterioration or improvement in health.

• Change bandages and wound dressings, as well as other basic nursing tasks.

• Ascertain those patients are comfortable, fed, and hydrated.

• In some situations, you may be asked to administer drugs.

All nurses, regardless of their profession or speciality, follow the same nursing process: a scientific

technique that follows five easy steps to provide the best possible patient care.

• Assessment — Nurses conduct in-depth physiological, economic, social, and lifestyle assessments

on patients.

• Diagnosis - The nurse formulates a diagnosis after carefully examining both physical symptoms and

patient behaviour.

• Outcomes / Planning - The nurse uses their knowledge of the patient's rehabilitation to set realistic

goals. Following that, these goals are carefully monitored.

• Implementation — Nurses ensure continuity of treatment for patients while meticulously

documenting their progress by precisely following the care plan.

• Evaluation — The nurse fine-tunes the treatment plan by reviewing its effectiveness and studying

patient response.
 NURSES AS NATION BUILDERS

Higher demands on nurses and other health-care professionals in terms of job production have been a

source of concern for the government, researchers, and other stakeholders in the health-care sector in

recent years (Wadson & Phillips, 2018).

Despite considerable improvements in nurse-patient ratios from 1:1,251 in 2012 to 1:542 in 2016, a

prior analysis showed that nurses are still working under extreme time constraints to provide health-

care services in Ghana (Asamani et al., 2019).

Nurses' responsibilities include anything from direct patient care and case management to setting

nursing practice standards, quality assurance processes, and overseeing complicated nursing care

systems.

ROLE OF CHARGE NURSE

A charge nurse is a manager in the nursing profession who, in addition to providing patient care, is

responsible for supervising a group of nurses. Charge nurses serve as a link between registered nurses,

top management, and hospital administration on occasion. A charge nurse is a strong leader who is a

skilled speaker, fast thinker, and well-organized (Warshawsky & Cramer, 2019).

Charge nurses are responsible for a variety of tasks in addition to performing the duties of a registered

nurse on occasion. A charge nurse must delegate work to nursing staff, educate staff on expected

patient care, organize nurse and support staff rosters, investigate complaints, order needed supplies,

maintain policy compliance, and take disciplinary action against nursing staff when necessary

(Penconek et al., 2021).

Charge nurses, according to McCauley et al., (2020), work in a variety of settings, including hospitals,

nursing homes, physician offices, and clinics. This position can lead to higher-level roles like nursing

director, advanced practice registered nurse, and chief nursing officer.

Charge nurses are usually registered nurses with a bachelor's degree, an associate's degree, or a

diploma in nursing. Biology, anatomy, and physiology are usually covered in nursing school, as well
as practical practice (Laurent, 2000). Before becoming a charge nurse, a registered nurse will

normally have several years of experience and may need to obtain specialized certifications. Those

pursuing a master's degree in nursing may have an edge.

As a paediatric nurse at the Ada East District Hospital, my main obligation lies with attending to the

paediatric population (0 – 18 years). I work hand in hand with a paediatric team that consist of another

paediatric nurse and a paediatrician specialist.

When a child arrives at the facility, my job is to triage and place the child within a colour coding. This

indicates whether the case is an emergency, urgent or can wait in a queue. Again, I take history during

assessment, exam the child from head to toe with focus on the affected system and make a diagnose. I

then consult with the paediatrician or any other medical doctor available to plan treatment for this

child.

I further carry out the needed nursing activities to ensure full care is given to the ailing child. These

include, setting intravenous line to take blood specimen for blood work. I monitor vitals including

pain (which is known as the 5th vital) while child is admission.

I perform specialized paediatric activities like passing a nasogastric tube for children who need it,

determining the age of a preterm using a specialized tool, helping babies’ breath and helping families

with kangaroo care for their preterm babies.

Paediatric nursing focuses not only the child-client but employs a holistic approach, using family-

centered care. Family centered care, as the name implies, is a health-care concept that prioritizes the

patient and his or her family in all choices. It starts with recognizing and respecting the individuality

of each family and patient (Smith, 2018).

Working with children demands a lot of patience and tactfulness. In children below 3 years who are

unable to adequately describe what may be wrong with them, skills and experience is needed to do a

thorough assessment and arrive at what’s best for them.

Even though they may be children, their right must be respected. You must engage them in whatever

you do for them and encourage them to help you our or participate in their care. This gives them a

sense of empowerment which can lead to more cooperation.

As much as possible, the children are also allowed to express themselves. The family or immediate

care giver adds on or corroborates the story of the child. It is no more all about the parent or caregiver

expressing the ills of the child.

As a paediatric nurse, I help to develop training materials and programmes to help educate staff on

new ways to doing things. Workshops and seminars are some of the ways this is achieved. This means

I continually expose myself to new knowledge by attending workshops and researching published

works.

I work with all other team members to ensure clients under my care receive a round-the-clock care.

Though I work 40 hours in a week, that is, Mondays to Fridays, between the hours of 7:30am and

3:30pm, I hand over clients to staff attending afternoon shifts who then hand over to the night staff. I

take up in the morning and the cycle goes on. There are staff who run weekends duty as well, which

implies clients can attend the hospital at anytime of the day.

I also work with the Child Welfare Clinics on Wednesdays to attend to babies coming for their

scheduled immunizations. There, the children are weighed, vaccinated and caregivers are counselled

based on the outcome of the individual screening.

Play is a key factor in paediatric care. My unit employs cartoons, logos, writing items and colourful

cards and pictures to keep the children cheerful. Performing procedures can be painful for this

population therefore using some of these distractions helps to make pain bearable.

One needs to wash the hand more frequently, especially when moving from one patient to the other.

Other protective items I use when taking care of clients under my care include gloves, facemask and

shield and aprons. Handwashing facilities have also been made available for these clients to aid

hygiene.
Language barrier is one of the few challenges I face at work. My inability to understand everything

the client says all the time and also to effectively educate them in a language they fully comprehend is

one area I am still working on. In such cases, the services of another colleague are employed to drum

home the message.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A PAEDIATRIC NURSE

To provide holistic paediatric nursing care to the child (0 to 18 years) and family

1. Monitor and manage vital signs in relation to the developmental age of the child

2. Take comprehensive and focused history and conduct physical examination of the child

3. Identify paediatric emergencies, take appropriate action in line with existing protocols and

inform or refer where appropriate

4. Prepare and assist in specialized paediatric procedures

5. Collaborate with other health care professionals in referral of cases beyond the level of care

6. Maintain specific age and developmentally appropriate environment that promotes safety,

security and optimal health

7. Administer paediatric medications, monitor for adverse effects and put in appropriate

interventions

8. Provide health education taking into consideration the age, gender and health needs of the

child

9. Identify and properly manage various child related conditions using IMNCI protocols where

appropriate

10. Admit, provide orientation and family centred care to the child and family/care giver during

hospitalization

11. Assist in the provision of OPD consultation

12. Participate in ward rounds

13. Perform peripheral IV cannulisation

14. Set up and assist in the performance of invasive procedures including central lines
15. Teach mothers/ care givers on breastfeeding, proper infant and young child feeding

16. Request and take blood samples for investigation, analyse, interpret results and put in

appropriate interventions

17. Collaborate with public health units to undertake contact tracing

18. Monitor and manage babies requiring special care (preterm, cerebral palsy, congenital

abnormalities, burns etc.)

19. Assist in the rehabilitation

20. Provide pre- and post-operative management of paediatric patients

21. Conduct pain assessment and manage appropriately

22. Counsel child and family and refer where appropriate

23. Assist in exchange blood transfusion

24. Perform Basic Life Support

25. Assist in providing paediatric advanced life support

26. Participate in neonatal mortality audits and other meetings/conferences

27. Prepare and submit routine and mandatory reports as required

28. Collect data and statistics for operational research

29. Set up Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)

30. Play child rights advocacy role

31. Supervise non-paediatric nurses and paediatric nurse-interns

32. Perform any other official duties assigned including general nursing duties
 SUMMARY

Paediatric nursing is a specialized branch of nursing that deals with diagnosing, managing, promoting

health and preventing complications among children aged between 0 and 18 years. A person who

performs the above is a paediatric nurse.

Paediatric nurses do not work in isolation. Right from pregnancy, the paediatric nurse works with the

midwife at the antenatal, during labour and delivery with other team members such as the surgeon, the

obstetrician as well as the anaesthetist. A child with a specific organ dysfunction will be attended to

by both the paediatric specialist and the specialist of the deformed organ or system, example with a

dental or eye specialist.

Again, the paediatric nurse is trained to take up some managerial roles in the hospital aside the day-to-

day activities. These include serving as preceptors for new staffs, either with paediatric training or a

general staff, organising workshops and seminars and using various innovations to introduce new

ways of doing things to staff.

The paediatric nurse works within the same working hours as any other nurse. As and when

necessary, the paediatric nurse can be reassigned areas where more hands are needed and this does not

affect the rank or job description of the paediatric nurse.

 CONCEPT OF LABOUR AND BARGAINING

INTRODUCTION

Collective bargaining is the process of negotiating between management and workers, who are

represented by their representatives, to establish mutually acceptable terms and conditions of

employment that safeguard both workers and management's interests. Because a representative of

labour and management acts as a bargaining agent, negotiation is collective. Both parties sit at the

bargaining table, deliberating, persuading, attempting to influence, arguing, and finally attempting to

achieve an agreement (Hart & Warren, 2013).

Lovenheim & Willén, (2019) postulated that, collective bargaining is "good faith negotiation," which

means focusing on a win-win plan rather than a win-lose or lose-lose strategy. It signifies those

proposals and counterproposal are matched. As a result, both sides feel as if they have benefited or

won. Any party is not obligated to accept a proposal under this arrangement.

In today's business world, resolving labour conflicts is critical to improving workplace relations.

Stevens & Templeton, (2020) further argued that the rise, growth, and strengthening of trade unions

spawned a mechanism known as collective bargaining, which allows the two parties to resolve their

disagreements through direct negotiation rather through the use of an arbitrator. The concept of

collective bargaining is supplemented and enhanced by worker participation in management.

The modern industrial period is characterized by collective bargaining, a study conducted by Addison

et al., (2017) showed. It is a process in which the terms of employment are decided by agreements

reached between union and employer representatives. Collective bargaining is primarily a method of

joint regulation because it necessitates the participation of both parties actively involved in labour

relations. Its goal is to reach an agreement.

Collective bargaining is a process in which interested parties negotiate their willingness to govern

industrial relations. It is a necessary component of economic democracy: a two-party process for

reaching a mutually acceptable solution. Collective bargaining is a process used by labour and
management organizations to resolve disagreements with or without the help of a third party

(Johnston & Land-Kazlauskas, 2018).

As a result, collective bargaining is a process of negotiating terms and conditions of employment

between employers and employee representatives. Collective bargaining is a positive reaction to labor

unrest. It represents a desire to resolve industrial issues via dialogue and understanding rather than

fighting.

Collective bargaining is a process of negotiating between workers' representatives and management

representatives to establish mutually accepted arrangements that protect both workers' and

management's interests (Johnston & Land-Kazlauskas, 2018).

We refer to 'good faith bargaining' as collective bargaining. It means that proposals are matched with

counterproposals, and both parties make reasonable attempts to reach an agreement.

Collective bargaining is defined as an agreement reached by both the employer and the employees as

a group. Bargaining is a term that refers to the exchange of proposals and counter-proposals.

A negotiation is a strategic dialogue that aims to resolve an issue in a way that is agreeable to both

parties. Each party in a negotiation seeks to persuade the other to agree with their point of view. By

bargaining, the parties concerned aim to avoid disputing and instead agree to find a solution.

Negotiations entail a certain amount of give and take, which implies that one party will always come

out on top. The other, on the other hand, must concede—even if it is only a token concession

(Chapman et al., 2016).

Negotiating parties might be diverse. They can include discussions between buyers and sellers, an

employer and a prospective employee. In the nursing field, the concept of negotiation does not only

apply to money; it can also apply to working schedules, where the nurse (employee) can have his or

her schedule changed by negotiating with his or her charge nurse to reduce one's work load, which

can affect one's job satisfaction.

Negotiations entail two or more parties coming together to attain an agreed-upon ultimate goal

through compromise or settlement. One party will state its case, while the other will either accept or

reject the terms. The procedure will be repeated until both parties have reached an agreement.

Before a negotiation, participants study as much as they can about the other party's position, including

its strengths and flaws, how to prepare to defend their viewpoints, and any counter-arguments the

other side is likely to present.

Negotiations take a certain amount of time, depending on the conditions. A negotiation can last a few

minutes or several hours, depending on the complexity of the situation. For example, while selling a

car, a buyer and seller may negotiate for minutes or hours. However, negotiating the parameters of a

trade agreement between two or more countries could take months or years.

KEY FACTORS IN NEGOTIATIONS

To have successful negotiations, the following requirements must be in place:

The Parties Involved

What are the interests of the parties involved in the negotiation? What is everyone's background, and

how does that affect their viewpoint in the debate?

Relationships

What is the nature of the connection between the parties and their negotiators? What is the nature of

the parties' ties, and what function does this play in the negotiation process?

Communication

How will the parties' needs be communicated in the most effective way possible in order to gain their

agreements through negotiation? What is the most efficient means of communicating the intended

outcomes and requirements? How can the parties be sure that their voices are being heard?
Alternatives

Is there a better option than what each party wants? Will the parties have to look for alternate options

if a straight agreement isn't possible?

Realistic Options

What possibilities are there for achieving a goal? Have the parties stated where they might be willing

to compromise on their demands?

Legitimate Claims

Are the demands and assurances made by each party genuine? What evidence do the parties have to

back up their assertions and demonstrate that their demands are legitimate? How will they ensure that

the negotiations' outcomes will be followed through on?

Level of Commitment

What level of dedication is required to deliver the negotiation's outcome? What is at risk for each

participant, and do the talks take into account the effort required to attain the agreed-upon outcomes?

VALUE FOR MONEY

The ratio of a measure of valued health system outcomes to the corresponding expenditure is known

as value for money. The primary drivers of interest in value for money are accountability and

transparency.

Patients can rest assured that their health-care claims are handled fairly and consistently if they use

the concept of value for money. Organizational systems must be proportional to capacity, manage

results and/or offer superior outcomes, and be calibrated to maximum efficiency if they are to be

considered value for money. This will be made easier with a long-term commitment to business

process improvements to minimize inefficiencies and duplication.

 CLINICAL GOVERNANCE

There have been tremendous changes in the health-care industry over the past few years. This has

been brought about by patients who are more aware of their rights, as well as hospital or clinical staff

who have responded admirably to public demands. The legal systems, as well as their punitive

measures, have had a significant impact on the health-care sector's transformation.

Functional System

The ability to complete numerous activities efficiently within the shortest period of time defines the

functional system. In instances where there is lack of enough nursing to man operations in health

facilities, the few nursing staff are assigned multiple tasks. Thus, variety of nurses perform variety of

activities instead of a specialized nurse to an activity. At the end, the nursing staff, rather than the

patient, is responsible for carrying out nursing activities.

Primary Care System

This system describes an individualized care provided by a particular nurse throughout the period of

care. In nursing, a nurse in charge of primary health care attends completely to the needs of the client

throughout each day. The nurse as well reports finding and changes with other members of the health

care team. It is expensive to practise.

Team Care System

The use of a team leader and team members to provide various parts of nursing care to a group of

patients is referred to as team nursing. A nurse team leader may provide medication while a nursing

assistant administers bathing and physical treatment. Nursing orderlies work with nurses who are

qualified and experienced. The distribution of care has been a source of contention. The Ada East

District Hospital, where I work, employs this under the shift system. A charge nurse works with

subordinates to attends to the various needs of the clients under them. The charge nurse distributes the

work to be done based on the competencies of the subordinates.

Total Care System

Total patient care is a type of care that is overseen by a registered nurse and provides one-on-one

attention to patients. This is comparable to primary nursing care in that it is patient-centered.

The attention and monitoring offered by a skilled nursing worker is the main benefit of whole patient

care. It is a system that works best for patients in Intensive Care Units.
 COMPONENTS OF CLINICAL GOVERNANCE

The last few years have seen significant rise in patient safety needs and consequently, an

improvement in the reforms concerning quality and patient needs (Carayon et al., 2019). Patients are

more informed and some disciplinary measures put in place have also left health care workers more

attentive. The working staff now, including management, seek to provide the best of care to all clients

under their care. The patient-clinician relationship and the job expectations imposed on health care

providers have been significantly impacted by numerous advances in health information technologies,

accountability frameworks, and payment models.

Clinical governance places accountability of the clients squarely on the shoulders of all staff and

management. They must ensure services rendered to clients are harmless, efficient, high-quality, and

always improving.

Staff and management must participate in hospital practices that enhance patient safety in order to

maintain clinical governance and provide optimal care for clients.

Accidents and near-misses must be recorded when they occur. Staff must continue to be candid with

patients and their families. Management must be able to analyse and respond swiftly to undesirable

events, such as morbidity and mortality meetings.

Randhawa & Ahuja, (2017) argues that patient care optimization necessitates active participation in

quality improvement, which includes contributing to a multidisciplinary team to guarantee that

patients receive comprehensive treatment. To guarantee that patients obtain proper information and

care, teamwork among patients, consumers, physicians, and management is necessary. Again,

continuous monitoring of junior employees providing patient care is required. Every employee must

be evaluated on a regular basis. Clinical outcomes for patients must be assessed on a regular basis in

order to identify opportunities for better treatment. Finally, the issues highlighted as needing

improvement must be addressed right away.

In a nutshell, clinical governance is a quality assurance process aimed at maintaining and improving

patient care standards while holding the entire system accountable to the patients. Clinical governance

encompasses a variety of factors:

a. Clinical Audit

Clinical audit is a way that doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals can measure the quality

of the care they offer. It allows them to compare their performance against a standard to see how they

are doing and identify opportunities for improvement. Changes can then be made, followed by further

audits to see if these changes have been successful.

b. Risk Management

The goal of risk management is to keep patients safe by:

• recognizing what can go wrong and does go wrong during care • comprehending the elements that

influence this

• gaining knowledge from any negative experiences

• ensuring that steps are done to avoid a recurrence

• putting in place risk-reduction systems

c. Openness And Transparency

When things go wrong, the public has a right to expect businesses to be open, honest, and upfront

about their performance standards, patient rights, and what happened and why. Patients must be aware

of treatment alternatives, risks, and prices in order to be treated transparently. For healthcare

practitioners, transparency means disclosing as much information as possible in order to offer proper

care while maintaining patient safety.

At all times, the practice seeks to collaborate in an open and honest manner with other healthcare

providers, the GHS, and local government organizations, as well as regulatory bodies such as the

NMC, GMA, and others.

 d. Clinical Effectiveness and Research

To achieve optimal care and service for clients, evidence-based practices are the used in the care of

clients. Patient-centered care should be prioritized at all times since the patient is at the centre of

nursing and medical activities. Examples of this includes:

 Use of evidence-based practice when planning care for clients

 Conducting new research to determine guidelines and protocols in providing improved health

care for clients

 Using standards and guides to help inform care, example, the standard treatment guide from

Ghana Health Service

 Implementing new standards and guides as and when they are instituted.

e. Education, Training and Continuing Professional Development

Karas et al., 2020 and Price & Reichert, (2017) approves that it is imperative for professionals caring

for patients to have the necessary knowledge and abilities. As a result, they are provided opportunity

to refresh their abilities and learn new ones in order to keep up with the newest innovations.

The Medical Education, Nurse Education, Clinical Skills, Medical Devices Trainer, and Practice

Development teams collaborate to ensure that the dental and maxillofacial team has all of the

necessary skills to deliver the best care for our patients.

f. Patient And Carer Experience and Involvement

Working in conjunction with patients and professionals is critical if the Trust is to provide the greatest

quality care. This includes incorporating users of our services in our work, including policy and

planning, to acquire a better understanding of their priorities and concerns.

Our patient and career councils are one way we get feedback from patients and professionals. We also

keep track of patient opinions through the Patient Services Department's complaints and compliments,

as well as communications with the Patient Advice and Liaison Service.

 g. Research

Evidence-based practise has come to stay. Each and every new day, research into improved ways of

doing things based on scientific process are published. Both qualitative and quantitative studies have

led to improved ways of doing things.

My facility allows training from experts, organizes internal workshops and seminars, and also holds

clinical meetings every Thursday to update staff on both clinical and non-clinical upgrades. This helps

to keep the staff up to date.

However, only a handful of staff have been sponsored by the facility to conduct a research within the

facility and the surrounding community.

h. Information and IT

In recent times, health facilities have moved from the paper to what is now know as the paperless

system. A seamless data cycle runs on a network, assessed by computers at vantage points including

the consulting rooms, wards, etc. This allows for information flow and precision in data transmission.

It has reduced cases of missing folders and thus lost of vital client information. It also makes room for

management to make projections since data gathered is accurate.

My facility, in its bid to catch up on the IT innovation, is working assiduously with light wave

technology, a government approved firm to catch up with the paperless systems. Trainings have been

organized for staff the roll out is set for March 2022.
 SUMMARY

Clinical governance and risk management are concerns that an institution is best suited to handle

collaboratively. This is because, no matter how hard individual clinicians strive to keep their half of

the deal, there will inevitably be some slip-ups when there is no coordinated approach in place.

Clinical governance was once a rather novel concept in the early 1990s, but that is no longer the case.

Any health facility that overlooks the need to align physicians and other support workers with the

ideals is exposing themselves to risks that might cost them a lot of money in the form of settling the

cost of neglect to angry patients, or even worse, it could lose them their reputation.

In the health industry, transformational leadership, in which a leader attempts to empower those who

report to him, is ideal. In this case, the individual at the top of the clinical governance ladder would

take the initiative to learn about clinical governance, which includes risk management, and share that

knowledge with the staff members under his supervision. This form of leadership fosters a

collaborative environment in which everyone works for the institution's advantage. This sort of

governance would be extremely beneficial to patients if applied in the health industry. Patients would

benefit from improved health care services, while physicians and the health facility would benefit.
 CONCLUSION

Working as a paediatric nurse in Ada East District Hospital has enriched my knowledge base and

skills. It has help improve my leadership skills as well as my ability to relate with colleagues and

clients.

I have taken advantage of the various modules put in to assist staff maintain up-to-date knowledge on

trends and that has also shaped my practice.

Family centered care, transparency with clients and their families as well as with other staff members

have been key in my practice.

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