Clinical Reasoning Cycle: Quick Response to Diagnosing and Treatment of Peritonitis (Essay Sample)

Clinical Reasoning Cycle; A Case Study
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Clinical Reasoning Cycle; A Case Study
Clinical Reasoning Cycle is an endless (cycle), systematic procedure that guides decision making in clinical practices for instance, when collecting indications, processing of patient information and understanding the problem, organizing and executing interventions for the problem, assessing the resulting effect of the intervention, and even learning from the process. It is an important tool that medical practitioners use in their daily activities in order to give effective care to patients. Furthermore, the practitioners who possess effective clinical reasoning skills have a beneficial influence on the well being of their patients (Levett-Jones, Courtney-Pratt, and Govind, 2019). While the stages of the cycle are similar, the underlying points of view and the arising questions are particular to a given profession(Gummesson, Sunden and Fex, 2018). Gummesson, Sunden and Fex, (2018) therefore hypothesize clinical reasoning as being a straightforward way to better the understanding of one another’s roles in interprofessional activities.
In this paper, we see how clinical reasoning cycle has been used as a framework in the diagnosis and treatment of Ms. Bianca Lane, a 20 years old Peritonitis patient, who presented into the Emergency department with the following symptoms; severe abdominal pain in the right lower quadrant that had lasted for about three days, nausea, lack of appetite and fever. Further examination of her abdomen revealed a perforated appendix which called for an emergency laparoscopic surgery. The observation of her vitals 36 hours after the surgery showed that her recuperation was not going at the expected rate. To give her better care, the following phases of clinical reasoning were followed:
Consideration of the Situation
This is the initial phase in the cycle. It is when a clinical case is presented. A medical practitioner obtains information from the patient for instance,how they are feeling, and also the standing medical status of the patient.
To begin with, feedback from Ms. Bianca, concerning the laparoscopic surgery that she had just gone through, will be received . After the operation, Ms. Bianca started complaining of a heightened feeling of nausea, centralised abdominal pain that kept on becoming worse especially when she moved around and also when breathing, and a feeling of ‘bloating’. A physical examination was carried out which showed a distended rigid abdomen, with generalised abdominal guarding and a lack of bowel sounds. To better understand her condition, a number of tests such as Full Blood Count (FBC), electrolytes, blood cultures and an abdominal X-ray were carried out. The tests revealed a raised white blood cell count and C- Reactive Protein (CRP), oedematous and gaseous distention of the small and large bowel. In addition, Ms. Bianca’s vitals had been taken. Currently, her blood pressure (BP) is 94/45mmHg, the rate of her heartbeat (HR) is 136, her body temperature is 38.50C, her breathing rate (RR) is 24 per minute and shallow, and her oxygen saturation (SpO2) 95%.
Collection of Information
This phase involves a careful study of the patient's medical history. It is designed to help the medical practitioner to determine whether the previous medications taken by the patient or a particular past illness has a connection to the current medical status of the patient. This information is important as it is vital in determining the kind of medication to be used. Consideration of the patient’s medical history is also important in providing important clues as to the level of severity of the patient’s medical status.
Ms. Bianca has a past history of asthma and depression. Prior to the surgery she had been prescribed the following drugs