Trying To Be Heard Case Summary

The ethical problem in this case involves Joanna’s concerns with the patient complaint of abdominal pain going unaddressed. Despite the vital signs being within normal limits and no significant changes in readings, Joanna’s report of abdominal pain to the medical resident twice and the nurse supervisor’s went ignored. I believe that Joanna followed the nursing standards of practice; however, the case study does not give a lot of information into her assessment. One of the signs of abdominal aortic aneurysm is a pulsating bulge or a strong pulse in the abdomen. Joanna could have assessed the patient for this sign and symptom by assessing for a bulge in the abdomen or listening with a stethoscope for a loud pulse. Joanna could have also further investigated the location of pain. Was Mrs. Kelly exhibiting any back or flank pain? Lastly, I believe Joanna should have assessed for nausea or vomiting. The institutional and professional constraints in this case involve communication between
I understand some of these steps would be a great start for Joanna to incorporate into her practice to prevent a similar situation happening in the future. These steps are “Speak up! Identify the problem, gather the facts, and voice your opinion. Be deliberate, know whom you need to speak with and know what you need to speak about. Focus on changes in the work environment, focusing on the work environment will be more productive than focusing on an individual patient. Remember, similar problems tend to occur over and over. It’s not usually the patient, but the system, that needs to change. Be accountable, sometimes, our actions are not quite right. Be ready to accept the consequences, should things not turn out the way you had planned” (Epstein & Delgado 2010, para.