Patient Care and Clinical Critical Thinking

Please select one of the following topics and prepare your presentation and support paper according to guidelines presented. Explain the topic as fully as possible with specific conclusions and recommendations. If selecting a clinical scenario, explain the alternatives, how you would proceed and why. You should reach and support a recommended conclusion. Requirements and guidelines for the paper and presentation are included in the course syllabus. You may select one of these topics or propose your own as discussed at the end of this document. The presentations are intended to improve your professional and medical communication skills. All topics, including clinical scenarios, require some research. All papers must include references for this research, even if topic selected is narrative or a case history. Wikipedia and similar sources are not acceptable scientific resources. Technical resources must be within the last 10 years. Paper and presentation are expected to be professional and clinical in nature rather than a personal narrative as might be done for a speech class. If presenting from an actual case, no patient name or health care provider should be identified. Reading ahead in the text might be helpful for clinical scenarios. You must also prepare a 10 question quiz for classmates to take based on the information in your presentation.

TOPIC: Clinical Scenario 1: A patient comes to Radiology from the emergency room on a stretcher. The patient is a 39-year-old female who was the driver in an automobile accident. She is not restrained and as far as you know, is not medicated. You have no other history. X-rays ordered are a chest and an abdomen (flat and upright), however she also has a CT scan of the brain ordered which has not been completed. When she arrives, she states she can stand and walk, but her responses to your questions are slow and she seems to have trouble understanding your questions. How would you proceed with this patient? What condition changes should you watch for? What questions should you ask her? Should you contact her nurse and if so, why? Text information regarding acute situations might be helpful