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My Story

Kristal Chapman
Birthplace: Townsville
People: Mitakoodi and Mongabai
Land: Cloncurry and across the Gulf of Carpenteria
Education: Nursing Degree (JCU) and am at presently studying for a Postgrad certificate in Clinical education
Work: Registered Nurse in North-West QLD

Around 11 months ago I cared for a beautiful murri girl from Mornington Island on a morning shift. By late morning she was being resusitated. Within around 24 hours the 20 yr Murri girl had passed away. Her death affected me more so than any patient I had cared for. I feel it affected me more because I felt that an injustice in the system that I try to maintain and improve let her down. She was young and she was Indigenous.

I had heard stories that this particular patient had been mistreated by some nurses, that she was non-compliant with her medications for Rheumatic heart disease.

I was not informed on handover about the current status of her heart condition or that she may pass away at any time; I was very angry at the system for that reason also.

I have carried this frustration and anger for sometime, but thanks to a very close friend whom is a fantastic Torres Strait Islander Nurse, I was informed of programs that were run on the Islands. One program targeted pain and anxiety related to Bicillin injections (the injection that treats Rheumatic fever and Rheumatic heart disease).

The nursing care that they aimed to have standardised to relieve or decrease the stress/anxiety related to the pain that the patient experiences pre and post injection of Bicillin.

The strategies which I am studying at present are;

1. The use of lignocaine injections or topical cream. According a standard university pharmacology text for Emla cream should be applied at least an hour prior to injection of the needle for the Emla cream to be effective. This may not be as suitable. However lignocaine injection may be if administered at the site of injection.
2. Distraction
3. Cold packs to numb the site of injection

6 months ago I was thrown into the deep end in the Outpatients Department to run the Bicillin clinic. It was when running this clinic that I realised that the injection to treat the disease that terminated the life of the young and beautiful murri girl that I cared for on the ward was very painful and the pain during and after the injection of the Bicillin scared the patient so much that she didn't want the injection. I'm not sure if I could go through with monthly injections either.

I have decided to make attempts (to improve in the near future)the treatment of patient with Rheumatic heart disease, Rheumatic fever that require regular injections of Bicillin by researching the nursing care of these patients.

I am writing this in the hope that whomever reads this realises that the care that they give regardless if one injection can make a huge change in someones life (try the strategies or implement them in your program) and may prolong it or... scare them to death.