Nursing

Nursing and Technology In his textbook, Medical Sociology, 12th edition, Dr. William Cockerham (2007), a medical sociologist at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, describes nurses as being ultimately responsible for the nature and quality of all nursing care patients receive during their stay in a medical setting. According to Cockerham (2007), they also are responsible for following the instructions of physicians in order to ensure the best plan of action is implemented to better serve the patient (Cockerham, 2007, p. 278). Although the responsibilities of nurses seem weighty already, plagued with much responsibility to provide high quality care, they now are also responsible for implementing multiple mediums of medical technology during their interactions with patients. The medical field has seen a recent shift towards technological implementation, and nurses, just like any other professional in health care, have to adjust. This recent implementation, however, could have a lasting impact on the overall experience of the patient. Ultimately, nurses have countless responsibilities, but one of the most important factors that provide the physician with the tools to ensure quality care is an accurate medical history. Nurses must hold an in-depth interview with the patient, asking a multitude of questions about the patient’s symptoms, family history, past medical history, etc. in order to find some sort of direction that may lead to the diagnosis. In his article, “Case Histories in the Education of Advanced Practice Nurses”, Dr. Chris Winkelman (2012), a Ph.D. of Nursing from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, describes medical case histories as, “rich, anecdotal narratives” that allow nurses to take the role of an active listener, learning everything there is to know about the patient and why they’ve been feeling the way they are (Winkelman, 2012, p. 1). The medical history gives nurses an inside look on the life of the patient and is an

Bibliography: Cockerham, W. (2007). Medical Sociology, Edition Number 12. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education. Winkelman, C. (2012). Case Histories in the Education of Advanced Practice Nurses. American Association of Critical Care Nurses, 1, 1. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=a0b54c3a-ab6c-4dce-baf3-f0eace281767%40sessionmgr12&vid=10&hid