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Case Study
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CASE STUDY 2
The definition of unsatisfactory professional conduct applies to the case study due to how
nurse Heather Conyard treated her patient. This means that the nurse in the case was assessed
under the conduct pathway. The Australian National Board receives any reports of unsatisfactory
professional conduct among nurse practitioners, and then they can choose to make a choice as to
whether the nurse will face a disciplinary action or not. The nurse, in this case, is guilty of
unprofessional conduct as she did not play her role in the hospital, leading to the death of a
patient. Her conduct is considered as below what is expected of a nursing professional. It can
arise in regards to how the practitioner applies their care, skill or judgment in a situation when
providing health care (HCCC, 2015). The nurse did not recognize that the patients health was
deteriorating. The nurse also failed to escalate concern by requesting for additional assistance to
The conduct pathway provides a means for the council to deal with complaints that can
arise due to professional misconduct. The nurse was assessed under the conduct pathway since
her actions are part of professional misconduct. She acted in a manner that was not professional.
She was characterized by more than one situation of unsatisfactory unprofessional conduct. This
provided sufficient justification that her midwife or nurse registration can be suspended or
Once the complaint has been investigated, the Director of Proceedings at the Health Care
Complaints Commission (HCCC) will be provided with a report on the issue. The Director can
then choose to continue with the case or not. This relies on the criteria that have been established
under section 90C pf the Health Care Complaint Act. The director will look at various variables
such as protecting the public from the nurse under investigation, any submission made by the
accused, the seriousness of the issue and the chance of proving that misconduct occurred. These
CASE STUDY 3
are factors that comprise the conduct pathway (AHPRA, 2016). In the current case, the nurse can
The HCCC prosecuted Conyard due to her actions while she was a registered nurse at the
hospital. The patient died six days later after admission to the facility. The nurse failed to
recognize and response to the current deteriorating condition of the patient. She did not organize
for a medical review that could have assisted the patient. The medical review was necessary as
the patient had certain ailments such as diarrhea, and abdominal pain. The patients respiratory
rate was also abnormal at over 40 breaths every minute. His blood pressure was recorded as
89/53. Conyard also failed to report her assessment of the patient or even recognize the
underlying health issue based on the current state of the patient (Chang & Daly, 2015). She also
failed to follow a plan of action that would have improved the patients outcomes.
Professional accountability
The nurse should have completed several activities in the immediate situation. It entails
several stages which are physical care, assuring the patient, recommending another health
professional to the patient, asking for information and explaining. Essentially, medical diagnosis
is critical to resolving the issue currently facing the patient. The nurse-patient interaction is vital
as the patient can provide feedback about their current condition, allowing the nurse to make the
best decision. Nurses comprise the most important individuals in a health or medical
organization. Indeed, the nurse should determine the appropriate medical care that applies to the
patient. In this case, it would entail coordination with other health personnel to ensure that the
overall health and wellbeing of the patient is restored (Staunton & Chiarella, 2012).
Coordination is key to ensuring that the patient receives the appropriate care. In many
cases, a patient requires the input of various professionals. In this case, the nurse should have
CASE STUDY 4
coordinated with the physician and other nurses. This would have ensured that the patient
received proper care. Patient care is a shared responsibility (Savage, Kub, & Groves, 2015). The
healthcare system is prone to errors, and it is through coordination that errors are avoided.
The mitigating factors that would have reduced the accountability of the nurse involve
improved coordination. The mitigating factors can either be in the form of individual or
organizational. The individual factors rely on the caregiver, and how they respond to an issue in
the context of a hospital. In this case, the nurse would have requested for assistance from other
members of the medical fraternity in the hospital. This would ensure that the patient receives
proper medical attention. Coordination will occur both across and within sites that provide
medical care. Essentially, speaking up quickly about an issue is a mitigating factor. On the other
hand, the organizational mitigating factor will entail defining the laws that can apply in the
workplace. It entails establishing rules where the caregiver can follow to prevent loss of life. In
this case, specific protocols should be in place (Pairman, Tracy, Thorogood, & Pincombe, 2015).
This would avoid the death of the patient which occurred after a few days since he did not
The principles and standards of Between the Flags (BTF) entails a system of enhancing
the determination, response, and management of patients who are deteriorating clinically. In this
case, it is imperative that all clinical staff in an organization are aware of the BFT system.
Moreover, it is imperative that hospitals have the necessary core emergency equipment that is
required to ensure that patients have access to proper medical care (Savage, Kub, & Groves,
2015).
The professional standards that were breached entail provision of care. The nurse is
CASE STUDY 5
expected to assist all patients, but this did not occur in the case study. Instead, the nurse ignored
the patient, and his condition deteriorated further leading to his death. This is a failure in care
that should not be encouraged. It is often complex to meet the needs of a patient, especially when
they have different ailments. However, the nurse is responsible for providing basic care which
ensures that the patient will be on the road to recovery as soon as possible. The nurse also failed
to coordinate with the other medical personnel in the hospital. Normally, the nursing practice
involves a closer interaction between the nurse, physician, and other specialized staff in the
hospital (Pairman, Tracy, Thorogood, & Pincombe, 2015). However, this was not the case, and
Preparedness
The case study has taught me about the importance of providing professional nursing
care. Essentially, it is imperative that I am prepared as a nurse to play my role as required by the
NSW body. One aspect of care entails documenting issues that are facing the patient. In this
case, the patient was ailing from a myriad of health problems. I have learned that it is imperative
to understand the needs of a patient to ensure that they are assisted. An accountable action would
entail coordinating with others to help the patient. Once I have realized that the patient requires
attention, I can coordinate with other professional in the hospital such as the doctor. As a new
graduate, this is within the scope of practice as I have the skills and knowledge to determine that
the patient requires medical attention before their condition becomes worse.
In conclusion, unsatisfactory professional conduct can lead to the death of patients. In the
current context, Conyard failed to provide appropriately, and the patient lost his life. The nurse is
responsible for ensuring that the patient receives the required medical attention once they are
admitted. Caregivers have the role of ensuring that the health outcomes of patients improve. This
CASE STUDY 6
can be achieved by ensuring that patients receive care as soon as possible. Moreover, caregivers
are professionally accountable. This means that the nurse has to make sure that patients receive
References
AHPRA. (2016, January 1). Regulating Australia's nurses and midwives. Retrieved from
Chang, E., & Daly, J. (2015). Transitions in Nursing : Preparing for Professional Practice.
HCCC. (2015, November 30). Ms Heather Conyard caution and 12 month mentoring condition
releases/2015/Ms-Heather-Conyard---caution-and-12-month-mentoring-condition-
imposed
Pairman, S., Tracy, S. K., Thorogood, C., & Pincombe, J. (2015). Midwifery : preparation for
Savage, C. L., Kub, J. E., & Groves, S. L. (2015). Public Health Science and Nursing Practice:
Staunton, P. J., & Chiarella, M. (2012). Law for nurses and midwives. Chatswood: Elsevier
Australia.