Dilemmas and Decision Making in Nursing

Looking for a book that will help you hone your decision-making skills as a nursing student or practitioner? Look no further than this innovative volume. It provides a collection of engaging fictional scenarios that explore how nurses tackle clinical dilemmas, weigh up options and make good decisions based on a sound understanding of theory related to practice.

More than just a simple collection of case studies, this book offers a comprehensive thinking framework that will allow you to truly understand how theory can be applied to practice. It provides opportunities to discuss clinical dilemmas in a safe space in which you can explore your own values and beliefs, apply professional knowledge and consider new approaches to nursing. 

Featured in these clinical scenarios are professional dilemmas you may not have yet encountered in your practice to help you uncover new methods of decision-making. It explores best practice and takes account of other professional perspectives, including challenges and barriers to interdisciplinary working. After using this book you will feel confident in your problem-solving and decision-making abilities. 

Introduction

Section1: Perceptions of risk and safety

Case study 1 Reuben: fit for discharge but not safe to leave (Joseph Ellis-Gage)

Case study 2 Miguel: is he safe? (Christine Nightingale)

Case study 3 Sabina: what's safeguarding got to do with me? I am training to be a nurse not a social worker (Katie Mclaughlin)

Case study 4 Vanessa: coercion, control and personal choice (Sarah Housden) 

Case study 5 Martin: do no harm (Rebekah Hill) 

Section 2: Prioritising care

Case study 6 Molly: cold not dead (Joseph Ellis-Gage) 

Case study 7 James: to donate or not to donate? (Joseph Ellis-Gage)  

Case study 8 Aiyana: for crying out loud! (Sarah Housden) 

Case study 9 Pete: don’t miss the point (Sally Hardy) 

Case study 10 Scarlet: cutting, coping and compassion (Sarah Housden and Louise Cherrill)  

Section 3: Personalising care

Case study 11 Stephanie: see me, hear me, include me (Sally Hardy) 

Case study 12 Jamil: false hope? (Rebekah Hill) 

Case study 13 Jessica: what matters most (Emma Harris) 

Case study 14 Roger: a case of mistaken reality (Sarah Housden) 

Case study 15 Lucy: the man I plan to marry (Katrina Emerson) 

Conclusion

Julia Hubbard is a Professor of Clinical Health Education at the University of East Anglia. She is an experienced academic, having worked in university-level healthcare education since 1993. During that time she has been involved in curriculum development and course delivery across a range of health care professions at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, both nationally and internationally. Her current role as innovation lead for the School of Health Sciences involves seeking new education opportunities to meet the changing health care needs of the UK population.