…How to get adequate care for your ailments
…Preventing medication errors
By Suleiman Tajudeen
CITIZENS COMPASS— Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation of care for individuals, families, and communities.
A nurse’s role goes beyond giving medication – it includes promoting health, preventing illness, caring for the sick, rehabilitating patients, and advocating for patients’ rights. The International Council of Nurses defines nursing as “encompassing autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well.” General nurses go beyond medication administration to promote health, prevent illness, rehabilitate patients, and advocate for patient rights. The quality of nursing care directly influences mortality rates, patient safety, and public trust in health systems both in Nigeria and globally.
Historical perspective
Pre-19th Century: Nursing was informal, mostly done by family members, religious orders, or untrained attendants. It had low social status.
Florence Nightingale, 1854-1860: The Crimean War made her famous for reducing death rates through hygiene, nutrition, and organized care. She founded the first professional nursing school in London in 1860. This marked the start of modern nursing.
Nigeria: Formal nursing began under colonial rule in the early 1900s, with missionary hospitals. The first nursing school was at Sacred Heart Hospital, Abeokuta, in 1930. Post-independence, nursing education expanded through schools of nursing, midwifery, and universities.
Globally, Nursing evolved into a science-based profession with standardized education, research, and specialties such as critical care, pediatrics, and public health.
Types of nursing care
Clinical/Hospital Nursing: Medical-surgical, pediatric, maternity, psychiatric, ICU, emergency nursing.
Community/Public Health Nursing: Health education, immunization, maternal-child health at the community level.
Primary Care Nursing: Nurses in clinics and PHCs manage common illnesses and health promotion.
Rehabilitative Nursing: Helping patients regain function after illness or injury.
Palliative Nursing: Pain relief and comfort for terminally ill patients.
Advanced Practice Nursing: Nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives with extended roles.
Medical-Surgical Nursing: Care for adult patients with medical and surgical conditions.
Pediatric Nursing: Specialized care for infants, children, and adolescents.
Maternity/Obstetric Nursing: Care for women during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum.
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing: Care for patients with mental disorders.
Geriatric Nursing: Care for elderly patients with chronic conditions.
Characteristics of good nursing care
Competent: Knowledgeable, skilled, follows protocols.
Compassionate: Shows empathy and respect for patients.
Communicative: Listens, explains clearly, updates families.
Accountable: Documents accurately, admits errors, follows ethics.
Observant: Notices subtle changes in patient condition early.
Team player: Collaborates with doctors, pharmacists, and others.
Respectful of patient dignity and privacy
Adaptable to emergencies and workload
Committed to continuous learning
Ethical and maintains professional boundaries
Characteristics of bad nursing care
Negligent: Misses medications, ignores patient complaints.
Rude/Unprofessional: Poor attitude, breaches confidentiality.
Poor communication: Fails to report changes, gives unclear instructions.
Lacks empathy: Treats patients mechanically.
Incompetent: Poor clinical skills, unsafe practices.
Unaccountable: Falsifies records, avoids responsibility.
Breaches confidentiality
Falsifies records and avoids responsibility
Frequently absent or late
Resistant to feedback and learning
Poor hygiene and infection control practices
Importance of good nursing care
Improves patients’ outcomes: Lower mortality, fewer complications, faster recovery.
Patients’ safety: Nurses are the 24/7 watch for medication errors, falls, and infections.
Patient satisfaction: Compassionate care improves trust and mental well-being.
Cost-effective: Prevents readmissions and complications through early intervention.
Health promotion: Nurses educate patients on prevention, diet, and lifestyle in Nigeria and globally.
System function: Nurses coordinate care and keep hospitals running smoothly.
Ensures early detection of complications
Promotes faster recovery and shorter hospital stays
Supports patient safety through medication checks
Enhances the mental and emotional well-being of patients
Facilitates health education and disease prevention
Strengthens the overall functioning of health systems
Effects of poor nursing care on patients
Clinical: Increased infections, bedsores, medication errors, delayed diagnosis, avoidable deaths.
Psychological: Anxiety, loss of trust, depression due to poor communication and neglect.
Financial: Longer hospital stays, higher costs, out-of-pocket burden on families.
Public health impact: Weakens trust in the health system, leading to late presentation and self-medication.
Medication errors leading to adverse reactions
To be continued…
For questions and medical consultations, contact: Dr. Suleiman Tajudeen, CEO and Director of Clinical Psychology, Clear Mind Psychological Consult, Km 15, Badagry Expressway, Ojo, Lagos. +234 803 402 4457
HEALTH TALK: What you must know about nursing (Part 2)
…How to get adequate care for your ailments
…What the World Health Organisation says
By Suleiman Tajudeen
… Continued from last week
Delayed recognition of patient deterioration
Higher mortality rates
Prolonged hospital stays and higher costs
Poor wound healing and complications
Increased burden on families financially and emotionally
In Nigeria, poor nurse-to-patient ratios, under-resourcing, and burnout contribute to these effects. Globally, understaffing in low- and middle-income countries is a major cause.
How to Prevent Poor Nursing Care
To be continued…
For questions and medical consultations, contact: Dr. Suleiman Tajudeen, CEO and Director of Clinical Psychology, Clear Mind Psychological Consult, Km 15, Badagry Expressway, Ojo, Lagos. +234 803 402 4457
