Monitoring a patient’s temperature is an everyday task to a nurse. It is one of the most important vital signs to recognise when a patient’s condition worsens. Nurses have to follow a strict guideline to maintain the safety of the patient’s. All nurses after graduation will register with the Nursing and Midwifery council. The NMC provide nurses with a code of conduct they must adhere by to maintain their registration as a nurse. This essay will show how parts of the NMC code relate to monitoring the temperature of a patient.
When a patient is admitted to hospital a baseline set of observations should be completed. One of the signs the nurse should be monitoring is the temperature of the patient. Every nurse will carry out this task millions …show more content…
Once a nurse qualifies there are more training programmes that will need to be completed. It is important that the nurse keeps all records of extra study and skills sessions that they have attended. As it states in the NMC code (2015, pg.7 statement 6.2) the nurse should maintain the knowledge and skills they need to provide safe and effective practice. Patients put their trust in nurses and expect them to have all the relevant up to date competence and skills to deliver exceptional care as (Berry, Wall and Carbone, 2006) suggests. Although they complete nursing observations many times a day, nurses can become over familiar with doing them. This can lead to lack of attention when assessing a patient, perhaps when monitoring the temperature of a patient needs to be completed every half an hour as the patient has arrived back from surgery. The normal human body Body temperature is one of the four most vital signs that must be monitored appropriately to ensure safe and effective care (McCallum and Higgins, 2012). If the nurse is not paying the correct amount of attention, there could be missing signs of deterioration. Temperature needs to be measured accurately to make sure any changes in the patient’s condition are identified and acted on (Godfrey, 2012). Whilst monitoring the patients temperature, the nurse needs to keep a chart of the results, as it states in the NMC code (2015, pg.9 statement 10) the nurse needs to keep clear and accurate records relevant to practice. It is extremely important that the nurse records exactly what is being observed as the patient’s condition can change rapidly and may require urgent medical attention (Dawes, Lloyd and Durham, 2007). The nurse needs to make sure they are using the correct technique and thermometer, failure to do so could lead to compromising the patient’s safety (McCallum and Higgins,
When a patient is admitted to hospital a baseline set of observations should be completed. One of the signs the nurse should be monitoring is the temperature of the patient. Every nurse will carry out this task millions …show more content…
Once a nurse qualifies there are more training programmes that will need to be completed. It is important that the nurse keeps all records of extra study and skills sessions that they have attended. As it states in the NMC code (2015, pg.7 statement 6.2) the nurse should maintain the knowledge and skills they need to provide safe and effective practice. Patients put their trust in nurses and expect them to have all the relevant up to date competence and skills to deliver exceptional care as (Berry, Wall and Carbone, 2006) suggests. Although they complete nursing observations many times a day, nurses can become over familiar with doing them. This can lead to lack of attention when assessing a patient, perhaps when monitoring the temperature of a patient needs to be completed every half an hour as the patient has arrived back from surgery. The normal human body Body temperature is one of the four most vital signs that must be monitored appropriately to ensure safe and effective care (McCallum and Higgins, 2012). If the nurse is not paying the correct amount of attention, there could be missing signs of deterioration. Temperature needs to be measured accurately to make sure any changes in the patient’s condition are identified and acted on (Godfrey, 2012). Whilst monitoring the patients temperature, the nurse needs to keep a chart of the results, as it states in the NMC code (2015, pg.9 statement 10) the nurse needs to keep clear and accurate records relevant to practice. It is extremely important that the nurse records exactly what is being observed as the patient’s condition can change rapidly and may require urgent medical attention (Dawes, Lloyd and Durham, 2007). The nurse needs to make sure they are using the correct technique and thermometer, failure to do so could lead to compromising the patient’s safety (McCallum and Higgins,