Nurses' Understanding of Physical Science in Nursing Practice - Essay Example

The failure to identify and control the processes, procedures, models, services, and responsibilities related to safe, compassionate care deliverance and better health outcomes does not promise professional practice of nursing. This paper explains with examples the importance of understanding physical sciences (chemistry and physics) for nursing practice.

Situation  No. 1

Today's operating room is a complex environment. Nurses need to have complete knowledge about all the equipment present in the operation theater.  Nurses need to have a basic sense of lighting equipment, ventilators, ECG, Laproscopes, etc. Only with the basic knowledge of this equipment, they can arrange the operation theater and also be prepared for any emergency. For an operation to be successful, multiple complex tasks must be carried out, both serially and in parallel, while care is exercised to ensure the safety of the patient. The operation room must be designed to permit patients, operation room personnel, and equipment to move and be moved as necessary without being unduly hindered by overcrowding or by obstruction from cables, wires, tubes, or ceiling-mounted devices. Before and during the operation, critical devices must be positioned so that they can readily be brought into use for monitoring and life support.

Situation  No. 2

A nurse needs to have a good knowledge of chemistry. For example, in the operation room, several chemicals may present a threat to all individuals in the operation room.  Chemical hazards exist from the use of trace anesthetic gases, various detergents used to clean surgical equipment, flammable anesthetic agents and antimicrobial solutions, medicines, and latex products. The nurse needs to have complete knowledge of these harmful gases and the steps that need to be taken in case of exposure. Besides there are also other physical hazards such as electrical shock and burns, exposure to radiation from x-ray equipment, and injuries that may be caused by using lasers. In addition to causing injury directly, the use of lasers can expose operation room personnel to papillomavirus in smoke plumes.  Here again, it is very important to have complete knowledge to safeguard patients, all others in the operation room, and of course themselves.

Situation  No. 3

Chemistry for its part has been an important branch of science with numerous applications in the human arena, especially for the nursing practice. If a nurse is equipped with the theory, knowledge, and research of Chemistry, life becomes much easier. They can serve the patients much better. If a nurse knows how to prepare various solutions at short notice, this can be tremendous help both for the doctors and patients. Thorough knowledge of concentration is a must for this.  In case when the nurses have to look at the lab reports, it becomes very essential to know the normal range of chemicals that has to be present in the patient. Within the increasing complexity of the nursing practice, a thorough understanding of physical sciences (physics and chemistry) is very essential. These subjects have equally important applications in nursing science as that of clinical practice.