Reflective Essay on Managing Cervical Osteoarthritis and Osteoporosis

Introduction

The reflective essay is essential in the sector of healthcare which can enhance the understanding of critical reasoning, and development of the patient care and it has also helped to analyse personal growth. This study has been analyzed with the help of Gibb's reflective model which explores the six stages. The six stages have effectively described how the condition of someone’s health has reflected on personal growth. This study has reflected on the health condition of patients related to cervical osteoarthritis having a history of osteoporosis. This study has helped to understand the condition of patients, and the effects on regular life with the significance of multidisciplinary care which can efficiently manage critical cases.

At Native Assignment Help, we provide expert Assignment Help services for healthcare and nursing students across the UK. Our team specializes in reflective writing, case study analysis, and academic research to help you achieve top grades while improving your professional skills.

Gibbs Reflective Cycle

Description

According to the patient’s history, the patient has a history of constant neck pain for about 25 years, which lasted for the years of 10. It is described to be more on the chronic type and the pain gets agitated after participating in sporting activities. The pain is classified on a scale from 0 to 7 depending on the intensity; it becomes 6 or 7 within the period of 3 to 4 hours after physical activity, but during the consultation, the client ranked it as 1/2. Painkillers, creams or sprays, and ice packs offer some measure of comfort but the pain is still felt. It was noted in a note from 2023 that the patient has right-sided neck arthritis and the patient does not recall having been prescribed any medication for it after having an X-ray. The patient also has a medical history of osteoporosis, which was initially diagnosed ten years before, and she consumes Strivit-D3 800UI every day. There is a family history of osteoporosis, and the patient opposes another Dexa scan unless it is at least five years later when the patient is seventy years old. Moreover, urinary tract infections occur, and the patient has to take Trimethoprim during diagnosis, whereas Bisacodyl is used for bowel concerns (Kovats et al. 2024). However, the patient also works out and participates in sports like bowling, badminton, and pickle ball, three to four days a week and occasionally gardens for a couple of hours. The past medical history also consists of a previous fracture of the wrist from eight years before when a cast was applied and surgery done on varicose veins thirty years back.

Figure 1: Gibbs Reflective Cycle

Feelings

The feeling of empathy arose in me during the observation of this patient due to understanding how it is to have constant pain and several illnesses. The patient’s ability to engage in an active life despite her conditions was slightly encouraging, and on the other hand, a cause for concern as it gave the Provider hints on how highly active the patient was, which in some cases could worsen symptoms. I was also surprised by the possible exacerbation of the indications of the condition which was caused by excessive physical activities and there was very little interaction with the healthcare system based on her obvious symptoms. There were no specific medications provided to the patient in the managing of the condition in the future (Mohammad et al. 2021). If there were specific management to deal with the condition then the gaps in the care can be fulfilled.

Evaluation

Analyzing the patient’s case, it is possible to mention a number of positive and negative experiences she had as the subject of healthcare. On the positive aspect, the patient stands strong and has been very aggressive in approaching her pain. Despite including all forms of pain relief, she stays active and continues with exercises that are vital in boosting the general health and well-being of an individual, probably with osteoporosis disorder. Also, dated the Dexa scan, and it necessitates the monitoring of her situation with osteoporosis, which is essential for preventing other issues from occurring. Also, there are major concerns as well (Vecchio et al. 2024). The patient for many years has been suffering from chronic pain, whereas the extensive treatment of cervical osteoarthritis is missing. Non-prescription of any medication or referral to a specialist also gives rise to the appropriateness of her treatment. Further, the patient scores relatively high on physical activity, which, as advantageous in some aspects, can negatively influence the course of her disease. This disconnect means that there is no proper strategy for managing both osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, which can mean deterioration of the patient’s condition.

Analysis

This situation emphasizes the need to use a systemic and integrated model to address the management of chronic ailments such as the cervical osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. From this case, it can be concluded that chronic pain is a complex problem that does not allow only achieving symptom control. Generalized interventions should include the use of pain management techniques, physiotherapy, changes in the patient’s lifestyle, and a plan of the monitoring schedule. In the case of this patient, some of the reasons to explain why the doctor could have decided not to prescribe medication or refer her to a specialist might include the patient’s current pain levels and the fact that she is not interested in medication; whether her self-management strategies helped her to continue bearing with the pain; the possible side effects of medication for a long-term user (Maraş et al. 2022). Though, this approach may help her in not worsening her condition for some time but may not treat the root cause of her pain. The lifestyle of the patient is indicated as the positive trait of this care. Daily assessment of physical activity is efficient in dealing with osteoporosis. So without the appropriate guidance, this type of activity can enhance cervical osteoarthritis in my opinion. A suitable exercise program customized by the physiotherapist can help in maintaining her active life and this can reduce the chances of injury. This case history has highlighted the necessity of better education and communication. This can help the patient understand the significance of daily check-ups and make the plan of treatment as per her requirements. The history of UTIs the patient and usage of Trimethoprim with the medicine Bisacodyl can be the best suggestion for her.

Conclusion

Following this case, I have realized that the patient-centered approach is one of the most important elements in the treatment of chronic diseases. Despite the quality of self-management and the patient’s ability to remain hopeful, it can be concluded that her care could use the improvements. Increased levels of ongoing supervision, referrals to a specialist, and increased individualized exercise regimes could dramatically enhance her quality of life. Furthermore, growingly I have acknowledged the role of improving communication and education of the patient, which shall enable the patient to make an informed decision and minimize the possibility of complications in her further treatment.

Action Plan

Analyzing what needs to be done to enhance the patient’s outcomes, I can identify the following key actions that will elicit a difference. Initially, the organization of a referral for a specialist, for instance, a rheumatologist or an orthopedic surgeon can be highlighted. It would enable her cervical osteoarthritis to be properly assessed and provide avenues to suggest suitable treatments ranging from pharmacological to physiotherapy or possibly surgery if necessary. And thus, it is rather obvious that her current levels of physical activity should be reconsidered. With such an approach as exercising with the development of an ideal exercise activity plan, the patient could still engage in rigorous activities while experiencing a reduced severity of her symptoms. When it comes to this aspect, advice from a physiotherapist would be most useful as she would be able to show her exercises that built on her neck and spine muscles yet did not cause her more discomfort. Realizing that she would have to soon go through a general medication review has made her contemplate her medication schedule more seriously. Due to her current disease state of osteoporosis, recurrent UTIs, and bowel management issues, the compatibility of her existing medications with each other and vice versa cannot go unnoticed. This case therefore brings out the need to enhance patients’ education and consultation. Before last, it is important for the patient to comprehend why follow-ups are important, why they have to stick to the medical advice given by their doctors, and the possible complications of the diseases that they have been diagnosed with.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it can be concluded that the reflective essay on the analysis of the condition of the patient is crucial to understanding how this impact on personal and professional development. This study has employed the Gibbs reflective cycle for analyzing the case of the patient which can provide important information related to the management of the case. It represents how the condition of osteoarthritis is reflected in someone’s life. The Gibbs model of reflection has effectively represented the six stages by which it can provide information on how the condition of the patient has affected the understanding. The recognition of the areas of improvement the healthcare professional can be able to manage the quality of life for the patient and offer the best medications to get effective outcomes.

Reference List

Journals

Jones, M.D., Goodman, M.A., Ferraro, M.M., Hansford, M.H. and McAuley, J.H., 2024. EXERCISE IS MEDICINE, BUT FOR WHAT? A MAPPING REVIEW OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE UK NICE CLINICAL GUIDELINES. Journal of Clinical Exercise Physiology, 13(s2), pp.398-398.

King, T.A., 2021. The One Medicine concept: its emergence from history as a systematic approach to re-integrate human and veterinary medicine. Emerging Topics in Life Sciences, 5(5), pp.643-654.

Kovats, M.A., Ram, M.A., Jones, M.D., Booth, A.P.J., Gibbs, D.M.T. and Thom, A.P.J., 2024. PAINFUL VS NON-PAINFUL EXERCISE ON CREPITUS IN PEOPLE WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS: A MIXED-METHODS ANALYSIS. Journal of Clinical Exercise Physiology, 13(s2), pp.477-477.

Manero, A., Rivera, V., Fu, Q., Schwartzman, J.D., Prock-Gibbs, H., Shah, N., Gandhi, D., White, E., Crawford, K.E. and Coathup, M.J., 2024. Emerging Medical Technologies and Their Use in Bionic Repair and Human Augmentation. Bioengineering, 11(7), p.695.

Maraş, Y., Tokdemir, G., Üreten, K., Atalar, E., Duran, S. and Maraş, H., 2022. Diagnosis of osteoarthritic changes, loss of cervical lordosis, and disc space narrowing on cervical radiographs with deep learning methods. Joint diseases and related surgery, 33(1), p.93.

Mohammad, E., Rachid, A., Koneru, S., Staelin, R., McLeod, K., Tabbouche, O. and Rawe, I.M., 2021. Pulsed shortwave therapy in cervical osteoarthritis: an NSAID-controlled, randomized clinical trial. SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine, 3(1), pp.166-175.

Nurlatifah, L., Purnawarman, P. and Sukyadi, D., 2023, December. The implementation of reflective assessment using Gibbs’ reflective cycle in assessing students’ writing skill. In AIP Conference Proceedings (Vol. 2621, No. 1). AIP Publishing.

Vecchio, D.L.D., Irwin, A.P.P. and Coutts, A.P.R., 2024. ENHANCING REFLECTIVE CAPACITIES IN EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY: BRIDGING EDUCATION AND LIFELONG PROFESSIONAL LEARNING. Journal of Clinical Exercise Physiology, 13(s2), pp.499-499.

Watson, M.P., Stendell, L., Middleton, J.W., Arora, M., De Oliveira, C.Q. and Davis, G.M., 2024. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SPINAL CORD INJURY: BEHAVIOUR, BARRIERS, MOTIVATIONS AND GAINS. Journal of Clinical Exercise Physiology, 13(s2), pp.349-349.