Reflective Writing

Student Name: ASAYEL MOHAMMED ALSULTAN

ID#: 20181073

Group: BIV(2)
 Reflective Writing on Ulcerative Colitis Case Study

Introduction

As part of my internal medicine course at the Arabian Gulf University College of Medicine and
Medical Sciences, I was given a case involving a 32-year-old woman with ulcerative colitis that
was especially difficult. This six-week rotation gave me a lot of experience with how hard it is to
treat inflammatory bowel diseases in a hospital setting with people from different fields. During
this time, I worked closely with specialists in a wide range of fields, such as psychologists,
gastroenterologists, and chefs, to provide complete care. This experience not only helped me
learn more about ulcerative colitis, but it also made me realize how important it is for doctors to
have care, communicate clearly, and keep learning. It was a turning point in my medical
education and a big step toward my goal of becoming a dedicated healthcare worker who
provides excellent patient care.

Description of the Event

I helped take care of a complicated case of ulcerative colitis during my six-week internal
medicine rotation at the Arabian Gulf University College of Medicine and Medical Sciences.
This happened in early April 2024. A 32-year-old woman named Ms. E.A. came in with feces
that was bloody, stomach pain, and weight loss. She was carefully evaluated and treated. Taking
a full medical history and doing a physical check under the guidance of a senior doctor were the
first things I had to do. Because of the patient's symptoms and how sick she looked, evaluation
and treatment had to be done in a planned and fast manner. A chef, a counselor, and nurses were
some of the health workers I worked with. They were all very important parts of the
multidisciplinary care team. At the same time, I took part in medical studies to make sure of the
diagnosis. This meant getting and figuring out the results of many tests, such as blood tests that
showed signs of inflammation and a colonoscopy that showed signs of ulcerative colitis, like
swollen mucosa and lost vascular lines. The order in which these tasks were done was very
important for making a good management plan. The senior doctor made the choices about
diagnosis and treatment. It was my job to carry out the daily management plan, keep an eye on
how the patient responded to treatment, and teach the patient about her condition and how
important it was to get follow-up care. This all-around method not only helped improve the
patient's condition, but it also taught me a lot about how to treat acute stomach problems in a
hospital setting.

Feelings and Thoughts

In the beginning of my involvement with the case, I felt a mix of fear and drive. It was scary to
deal with a real-life case of a complicated medical condition like ulcerative colitis, but I was
eager to put what I had learned in the classroom to use. The patient's severe complaints and the
pressing need for a correct evaluation and treatment made me feel more responsible. As the shift
went on, I felt different emotions as I gained confidence in my professional skills and ability to
make decisions. Working with the patient and seeing how our actions changed things for them
made me understand what a big difference good medical care can make in their life. The patient's
slow but steady improvement and the teamwork made me feel better about my decision to
become a doctor. I feel a deep sense of satisfaction and drive as I think about what happened. It
made me even more interested in health and made me want to focus in GI. Having a conversation
with the patient and working together on the treatment plan also made me realize how important
communication and understanding are in healthcare, which are still very important to me as I
continue to grow as a professional.

Evaluation

One of the best things about this case was seeing how the mixed method worked and how the
different skills of each team member helped make a complete care plan. This made me happy
and excited, which made me realize how important it is for healthcare professionals to work
together. Also, being able to work directly with the patient and see her get better over time was
very rewarding and showed how our medical treatments had a direct effect. But the experience
was not without its problems, especially when it came to getting people from different areas to
work together and dealing with the patient's first, very bad symptoms. Communication problems
happened from time to time, which slowed down the speed of care a little. This small issue
brought to light the need for better communication between departments. One thing that could be
done better is for the team to use faster, more effective ways to communicate. Improving this
could make care for patients even better and make sure that everyone on the team is kept up to
date quickly, which would make the treatment and tracking process run more smoothly and
quickly.

Analysis

In theory, treating ulcerative colitis involves a planned process that includes getting a full
medical background, doing thorough exams, and organizing care from different medical
professionals. In reality, this was reflected during my internal medicine training, where these
steps were followed to the letter. I started by getting a lot of information about the patient, which
was important for making a correct evaluation and a good plan for care. What worked well was
that the healthcare team worked together to make sure the patient got all-around care. While
other team members added their specialized knowledge in gastroenterology, diet, and
psychology, I successfully talked with the patient and gathered important information during the
history-taking process. Working together was very important in improving the patient's state. But
there were some delays in contact between offices, which made care delivery a little less
efficient. This problem made it clear that we need better ways to communicate in real time.
Being involved with the patient and my commitment to detailed recording and follow-up were
two of the most important things I did well. The communication delays, on the other hand, were
caused by a group mistake. This shows how important it is for healthcare situations to have
organized communication methods. In general, the decisions I made during this experience, like
putting an emphasis on diverse cooperation and patient instruction, made the patient's care and
my learning experience much better.

Conclusion from the Experience

I've learned how important it is to communicate clearly with patients and with other people on
the healthcare team through this experience. Making sure that communication is clear and on
time can greatly improve patient care and cut down on treatment delays. Going forward, I will
put a high priority on building better ways for people to communicate and push for simplified
processes in settings with people from different fields. I also have a better understanding of the
whole-person approach to medical care. Working together as a team of doctors not only made the
patient's situation better, but it also helped me learn more about complete healthcare. In the
future, I will actively seek to involve all important healthcare workers to provide care that is
well-rounded. When I think back on this, I understand that I could have taken more proactive
steps to deal with communication gaps, like setting up regular meetings between people from
different fields or using technology to get information in real time. I could have made the
patient's care even better by doing that. This experience has made me even more determined to
keep learning and getting better at being a doctor. This experience has taught me a lot about how
to care for patients better and shown me ways I can help make healthcare more efficient and
caring in the future.

Action Plan

Setting up a clear contact plan right from the start would be my first priority. To do this, teams
from different fields would need to meet regularly and use digital tools for real-time changes to
make sure that information is shared at the right time. To improve teamwork, I would also make
sure that everyone knows what their job is and how they can help. I would also be more
aggressive about educating patients and making sure they fully understand their situation and
how important it is to follow the treatment plan. By using these methods, I hope to be able to
give even better and more thorough care to patients in the future.

Conclusion of Reflective Process

Using Gibbs' model to guide my reflection helped me figure out what I was good at (like
communicating with patients and working with people from different fields) and what I needed
to work on (like making communication more efficient). The organized method of the model
made it possible to do a full analysis. It was also simple to use and very good for mindful
learning. I now have a better idea of how important reflective practice is for keeping my medical
skills and knowledge up to date and making sure I give the best care to my patients.