Workshops turn nurses into patients

[cougarnurse]

What a way to be reminded: Workshops turn nurses into patients (From thisisoxfordshire)

NURSING staff at an Oxford hospital have been hoisted, wheeled, preened and cleaned in a bid to find out what it is like to be a patient.

During special workshops last week, senior nurses at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Windmill Road, Headington, were dressed in hospital gowns, wheeled down corridors, and were fed, cleaned and even had their teeth brushed for them.

The workshops are part of a campaign by the hospital to show its commitment to respecting patient privacy and dignity.

Rachel Mellor, the head of nursing at the NOC, said: “We want to give all patients the best possible experience while they are in hospital.

“It is very important that we don’t compromise their privacy and dignity at a time when they may be feeling particularly vulnerable.

“We want our nurses to fully understand these concerns and fears, and the best way to do that is to ask them to step into the shoes of their patients.”

During one workshop nurses and other frontline staff found out what it is like for patients to be placed in a hoist and lifted out of a wheelchair and into a bed.

Sue Holloway, a senior staff nurse on the Bone Infection Unit, said the experience of being hoisted up was “quite scary”.

She added: “It’s completely safe but you have to put all your trust in someone.

“We can now reassure patients by saying ‘I know how you feel because I’ve done this.’ “Some of the staff were pushed around in wheelchairs, which can also feel unusual, and I had my teeth cleaned by somebody else which was a very weird experience.”

Staff were also blindfolded and fed jelly.

Ms Holloway said it was useful for nurses to experience what it is like to be a patient. She added: “It was good to have a reminder about what it is like to be on the other side.”

[Marie_LPN]

Soooooooo, when is something like this going to be mandatory for doctors? Quite often, they lose site that their patient is a person