PDF (PhD Thesis) - UWE Research Repository - University of the ...

I experienced this personally when I was having my first hip replacement
in 2001. I had been given a spinal anaesthesia and consequently was
incontinent post operatively. The nurse wanted to catheterize me but I
refused. The lady opposite who had also been operated upon that day
unfortunately was catheterised and the urinary catheter was not removed
until she had had her bowels opened, 4 days later. Consequently, she
contracted a urinary tract infection, was not able to mobilise as easily and
ended up staying in hospital for several extra days. When I asked about
the evidence underpinning the catheter removal after bowel evacuation the
nurse answered: ―We have always done it that way because Sister has
always insisted upon it‖. This experience confirmed even more the need
for reflective inquiry and prompted me to question whether and how it
might occur during care giving. We were increasingly emphasising
reflective practice in the nursing curricula but to what extent was reflective
practice really happening in the wards?
Clearly, this story demonstrates a lack of reflective inquiry and shows how
the power of an individual can help to inhibit the learning and practice
within the nursing team. I believe it is important to be aware of the choices
we make in practice so that we can articulate them to others. For me,
going even further to explore and then communicate the consequences of
those actions is at the heart of reflective practice. Retrospectively, I was
lucky having a doctor help me deconstruct the experience with John so
that I could reframe and reconstruct the incident in order to learn from it.
However, I did not remove the obstructing negative emotions as Boud et al
(1985) would suggest were vital for a changed perspective. At the time I
saw it as reassurance, now I see it as a form of spontaneous reflection. As
the story of Victor showed, I tried to provide the emotional support for my
staff that had been so crucial to me remaining in nursing, but I still ignored
my own emotional needs.
In my experience, most nurses have encountered some challenging
incidents during caring for others and sometimes they have experienced
19