Reflection: 7/5/2021 hours: 2
What happened:
Today I had a previous patient in clinic who has been diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the hips. Today was a really nice appointment as after progressively worsening pain since December she has finally got the news that she is 3 months away from having a hip replacement. Our focus is now on strengthening up her gluteals, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and improving walking gait in preparation for her operation.
What I was thinking and feeling and what was good or bad:
It was lovely to see a patients attitude and motivation drastically increase following good news from the hospital and I am looking forward to seeing how her adherence to exercises improve with this positivity (McArthur et al., 2014).
Action plan:
- Focus on maintaining that motivation and keeping her adherence to exercise high all the way up until her operation and afterwards.
- Education on expectations and explaining how the hard work does not end after the operation and how adherence to rehabilitation after the surgery is essential to full recovery.
References:
McArthur, D., Dumas, A., Woodend, K., Beach, S., & Stacey, D. (2014). Factors influencing adherence to regular exercise in middle-aged women: a qualitative study to inform clinical practice. BMC Women’s Health, 14, 1–8.