Case Study: Sammie Bem and Robert Bem - Patient History & Contact With Services

Sammie Bem: 11 years old

Sammie Bem:  11 years old

Patient history & contact with services

Sammie Bem is a School child. Three months ago she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.  She plays for the School football team but over recent weeks or so she has found it really frustrating that mum and dad seem to be staying for the games rather than dropping her off - embarrassing.  Her best friend is Katie but recently Katie saw her mum in the School office 3 times in a week and put it on Facebook. Now she dreads what will go on Facebook next. She has now blocked Katie on Facebook.

Sammie has told her dad that she “can’t get this diabetes, it’s not fair”, and none of her mates have it. “It was interesting at first but now it’s boring”. She feels like she is in prison with all the restrictions her mum seems to have put on her. Sammie has been allocated a Named Nurse: Sue Robinson, Paediatric Diabetic Nurse Specialist, and has an appointment at Outpatient clinic next week to see her, a dietician and a psychologist.  She is hopeful they will tell her that there is a cure for diabetes. Sammi also overheard her parents taking about ‘what’s it going to be like when she’s older and transitioning’ but she doesn’t know what they meant by this.

Sammi Bem has an appointment with the well-child clinic at her GP surgery. Within the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) Code (2018) Point 5 states that nurses must ‘Respect people’s right to privacy and confidentiality. Discuss ways in which the Nursing Associate can demonstrate these values during this appointment.

Robert  Bem: Sammie’s Dad; 42 years old

Patient history & contact with services

Robert Bem is a 42 year old man who has worked most of his adult life in security for a local firm. He enjoys his work and has male workmates he gets on with ok. Due to cut backs his job security is under threat, but he just gets on day to day and tries not to think about it. Overall, he feels he has decent health and cycles to work some days. He has been married to Joanne for 8 years but feels their relationship is under strain and lacking intimacy following Sammie’s diagnosis. The last few months have been hard with problems with Jo, his dad living on his own, and then Sammie.  He knows his dad has become for forgetful recently but puts this down to him drinking more than he has done since Robert was a child. He flew off the handle last time he mentioned it, but he often looks puffy and unwell. He tries to call in several times a week to check on him.

For the last month Robert is finding he can’t sleep, feels constantly tense and has been experiencing palpitations and occasional chest pain. At the hospital, last week he felt as though he needed to get out of the ward, as his heart was racing and he felt frightened.  He feels his appetite has gone down and he is smoking too much. When he mentioned palpitations to Jo she made an appointment for him with the Practice Nurse at the local surgery for a Well Man check.

In relation to Robert Bem discuss the Professional, Ethical and Legal guidance that would be used by a Nursing Associate to obtain an informed, valid and legal consent from Robert when he attends for his Well Man check