Medication Administration Safety

The 2013 National Patient Safety Goals Standards (NPSGS) recognize that at certain points in the health care process, a risk is present for error. Even a single error represents the risk of serious harm to the patient, with attendant negative consequences for the health care professional involved in the error. The NPSGS have been established to present procedural safeguards against the possibility of these errors. If the safeguards are consistently followed, the risk of errors will decline, with benefits to patients and health care professionals as well.The process of prescribing and dispensing medication to patients comprises a critical juncture in patient care. The process involves a number of risk points during which errors can occur. The NPSGS establish procedural safeguards in order to protect patients from medication administration errors. The standards also serve to protect health care personnel from the personal and professional consequences of making such errors. The NPSGS f or medication administration involve recommendations for the following risk points: medication reconciliation, proper identification of a patient prior to dispensing medication, and correct labeling of medication once it has been removed from its original packaging.Medication reconciliation is an important patient safety issue. Reconciliation involves obtaining information on all the medications that a patient is taking, and making sure that no duplication, incorrect prescriptions or conflicting prescriptions exist in the list of medicines. Many patients take more than one medication, and administration of medication to these patients is often complex. In order to avoid health complications from errors in medication administration, it is important that a clinician compare the medications that a patient is already receiving with new medications that have been ordered for the patient (The Joint Commission, 2012a, p. 2).Reconciliation of medication is done to detect discrepancies in th e prescriptions for a patient. Discrepancies in medication administration can have an adverse effect on patient health outcomes. Discrepancies in the  medications for a patient may involve duplication of medicines, omission of needed medications, undesirable interactions between medications, or the need for a decision by a clinician regarding whether to continue a medication (The Joint Commission, 2012a, p. 2). Clinicians use specific information to reconcile discrepancies. This may include the name of the medication, the dosage, the frequency of use (even if only occasional or as needed), the route used to administer the medication such as oral vs. intravenous, and the reason for use (The Joint Commission, 2012a, p. 2).A second risk point for patients during medication administration involves coordination of information between health care providers regarding the medications used by a patient. Once again, a patient may be taking numerous medications, and when a patient is admitte d to a care facility or visits a clinic, this information is important for planning care. Gaps in this information can result in medication administration errors. The NSPGS recommend coordinating medication information between health care providers during the transition of a patient within and outside of a health care organization in order to perform medication reconciliation (PC.02.02.01).For example, when a patient is admitted to a hospital, it is important that the complete list of medications that they are taking is available to the admitting health care professionals. If the patient has been treated by physicians outside the hospital and has been prescribed medication by them, the admitting health care professionals need this information. The NSPGS also advises that health care professionals provide patients with education on the safe use of medications, especially if they are discharged from the care facility.The NSPGS reminds care providers that patients need to be reminded t hat if one of their prescriptions is changed by a care provider, all other care providers should be informed of the change (The Joint Commission, 2012a, p. 2). New requirement in the NSPGS state that health care personnel are now required to inform the patient about the importance of keeping this information updated.Clinicians must know whether a patient is taking medication, and which ones they are taking in order to plan the best care, and to provide appropriate treatment and services (The Joint Commission, 2012a, p. 2). The patient must be reminded of their own  responsibility to inform care providers of which medications they take, and of changes to the medications.There are five goals stated within the NSPGS regarding medication reconciliation. These are: 1) to obtain and/or update medication information for the patient upon admission, or during the first point of contact. The list of medications that the patient has been taking at home should be compared with those that have been recently ordered for the patient. Any discrepancies should be immediately resolved by a clinician. This information should be stored in a list format that is easily accessible to other clinicians.The list should include medications that are taken only as needed as well as those taken according to a schedule. Yet patients are frequently unable to communicate this information clearly due to illness or other handicaps. Since it is often difficult to obtain this information from a patient, the NSPGS notes that a good faith effort will be considered adequate. 2) To make certain that health care facilities define requirements regarding patient medication administration. The health care facility should clearly define the type of medication administration information that will be obtained according to various settings and circumstances. This type of information includes name of drug, dosage, route, frequency of use, and purpose.3) A qualified clinician should compare medications curre ntly being administered to the patient with new ones that are ordered in order to detect discrepancies. 4) When the patient leaves a health care setting such as a hospital, to provide the patient or caregiver (such as family) with written information regarding medication that should be taken. 5) Inform the patient of the importance of managing their medication information so that it is updated as changes in prescriptions occur (The Joint Commission, 2012a, p. 2).Another risk point of medication administration involves giving medication to the wrong patient. Administration of medication to the wrong patient is  an error that can occur in any stage of diagnosis or treatment. In order to avoid these medication errors, the NPSGS recommend the use of at least two patient identifiers when administering medication. For banded patients, the correct identifiers to use are the patient name printed on band, and the account number of medical record number, which is also printed on the band (C ompau, 2013, p. 16).Since the patient’s room number or location is not an adequate identifier, it may not be used for this purpose (The Joint Commission, 2012b, p. 1). In health care setting such as clinics, a patient may not be banded. For non-banded patients in a clinical environment, the process for proper identification includes asking the patient to state their name and date of birth (Compau, 2013, p. 16).Of equal importance, the NPSGS recommend that all medications that have been removed from the original packaging be labeled. These include all medication containers such as basins, syringes, and medicine cups. Medications that are transferred to containers that are unlabeled comprise a safety hazard. This action leaves a margin for error that may result in tragic consequences for the patient. It is not enough for a health care provider to assume that they know what is in the container (The Joint Commission, 2012b, p. 3). A sterile pen and label must be used to mark all solutions (Compau, 2013, p. 23).Labeling must be done whenever a medication is transferred from the original packaging to another container. This is done so that even in a busy medical environment, with several health care professionals at work, the possibility of administering the wrong medication to a patient is reduced. Even in a procedural setting where only one medication is being used, the medication must be labeled if it is removed from original packaging and is not going to be administered immediately. This protects the patient by reducing the risk of error to a minimum.If an unlabeled container holding medication is found, it must be discarded immediately, as a safety precaution. It is not appropriate for any health care provider to assume that they know what is in the container. Discarding the medication eliminates the risk that the medication is something other than what may be assumed. Further, even medication containers that are clearly labeled must be removed and  di scarded, along with the contents, when a procedure is done (The Joint Commission, 2012b, p. 3).The NSPGS address the risk factors that are inherent in providing the highest standard of medical care for patients. The standards that address administering medication to patients are designed to reduce the likelihood of human error or lack of information from harming a patient. At certain points in the process of giving medication to a patient, the likelihood of errors rises. As the result of careful analysis of how the medication administration process is conducted, and how errors occur and have already caused harm to patients, the NSPGS have established the current safeguards.

Business Models and Systems Essay

The business that I am choosing to write about is a small convenience store located across the street from my children’s school. It is owned and operated by a very pleasant Indian couple. It is located in a remote area where there are very few businesses in close proximity. This store offers a variety of products and prepared foods. The three main components of the business system that comprises this particular business are as follows: Business as Commerce – They give money in exchange for the products they need to fill their store. In this case, the owners will look for sales at other stores, and then purchase them to sell in their store. They are making a profit from their trade because it is increasing their utility. Business as an Occupation – In order for them to increase their profit they would need to specialize in food service and preparation, customer service, and modern technologies. In other words, they had to learn how to make and present the foods that they offer, they had to learn how to communicate appropriately with their customers, and learn how to gain access to and operate new machines to make a greater profit. Business as an Organization – For the time being, this particular business is owned and operated by just two people. If sometime in the future they would decide to combine their talents and resources with other people, they will be able to pursue new opportunities and reduce transaction costs and increase their profitability.

Personal College Essay

My Personal College Essay By Dina Elyamany My heart froze and my stomach churned as I imagined the red-colored blood gushing out of him like a waterfall. I grabbed my doctor equipment and, with shaking hands, started stitching the wound in his chest with fear that something might go wrong. After sealing the cut, I checked the heart monitor, and a big smile appeared on my face. My teddy bear was safe and alive, and I was an outstanding six-year-old doctor. After finishing surgery, I skipped into the waiting room to see my clinic filled with my sister’s Barbies who needed a heart replacement because Ken had broken their hearts.As a child, I always thought the people I knew could be replaced or brought back to life if something bad happened to them, like the toys I owned. However, one day showed me I was wrong. On a dull Wednesday afternoon, my parents dropped me off at my aunt's house so they could go to work. I spent the whole day talking to the dolls in my aunt's special colle ction before realizing my aunt never came to check on me. Wondering, I walked to her room through the open door; she was lying on the floor motionless, her mouth slightly open, and no spirit left inside her body.That day I learned she could not be replaced. After seeing the image of my aunt's empty body, I woke up to realize that I had been living in a fantasy where people never die. Because of what happened to my aunt, I decided to become a real doctor who would save humans from unnecessary death. I knew that I would have to study my hardest to earn the required test scores to get into the top medical college. But living in Egypt, I knew my dream was not going to be accomplished since well-connected people steal the high test scores for their children.When I turned eleven, my parents brought me to live in the United States. I will always remember my first day in a school in America: I walked to my sixth grade class with a heart pounding like a noisy watch. As I sat in my seat and w atched everyone carefully, I remember thinking that my English would never be fluent as theirs. That day and every day, I went home and studied. Within six months my English became as normal as an average American’s and my medical dream was born once again.After I entered high school, doing well got a little harder. But I just studied more to be able to follow my dream. Through my experiences in America, I have learned some important truths. If I do not go after what I want, I will never have it; if I do not ask, the answer will always be no; and if I do not step forward, I will always be in the same place. I also have come to realize that people can live in my heart but not in my life. And the six-year-old doctor is now even more empowered to work toward her dream.

Effects of different corticosteroids on the immune system Research Paper

Effects of different corticosteroids on the immune system - Research Paper Example The glucocorticoids are used in replacement therapies for various inflammatory diseases, in severe allergic reactions such as asthma, in the management of some autoimmune disorders and in some cancers as well (Howland, Mycek, Harvey, Champe, & Mycek, 2006). The therapeutic role of corticosteroids has expanded since their first application for the treatment of reheumatoid arthritis in 1949 (Doan, Melvold, & Waltenbaugh, 2005). Different therapeutic corticosteroids are available for replacement therapies, and they play an important immunosuppressive role by mediating the adaptive and innate immune cells of our body. Cortisol is the basic and fundamental glucocorticoid produced in the human body. The three main functions for which corticosteroids are widely used therapeutically include their use as anti-inflammatory agents, for suppression of the immune system, and as a replacement therapy for replacing the hormones not produced at normal levels by the body (NHS Choices, 2013). The prod uction of cortisol reaches its peak during the early morning followed by a drop and then again a peak, relatively smaller, in the late afternoon. Cortisol has various body functions. It promotes the production of glucose and protein catabolism and the degradation of lipids by lipolysis. Cortisol increases the body’s resistance to stress by elevating the blood glucose levels, which helps in more energy production, and fighting stress situations such as cold, trauma, infections, fright, and bleeding. Cortisol also plays an important role in decreasing the blood cell levels which include eosinophils, basophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes. This particular action is important in the treatment of leukemia. The lowering of peripheral lymphocytes and macrophages also helps in mediating an anti-inflammatory action. Cortisol increases the production of growth hormone (Howland et al., 2006). The immunosuppressive action of corticosteroids is used in the treatment of many autoimmune diso rders such as inflammatory bowel disease, systemic lupus erythematous, and rheumatoid arthritis. Corticosteroids are also helpful in treating several renal autoimmune diseases such as nephrotic syndrome (Doan, Melvold, & Waltenbaugh, 2005). Numerous corticosteroid preparations are used for therapeutic purposes. Hydrocortisone is used as a topical preparation or in an injectable form. The injections are given to reduce inflammation in joints and tendons of affected individuals. Dexamethasone is used in acute conditions such as severe breathing allergic reactions, and is utilized mainly in the intravenous form. Prednisolone is used in several autoimmune conditions and allergic reactions and is available in suppository form, injections and as oral tablets. Fludrocortisone’s fundamental usage is for Addison’s disease, in which there is a deficiency of normal body steroid production (NHS Choices, 2013). Cortef contains hydrocortisone and is readily absorbed from the gastroi ntestinal tract. It has a wide variety of indications including rheumatic disorders, adrenal insufficiency, SLE, dermatological conditions such as psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, exfoliative dermatitis, allergic conditions such as asthma, serum sickness, rhinitis, drug hypersensitivity reactions, ophthalmic diseases such as conjunctivitis, keratitis, herpes zoster ophthalmicus, optic neuritis, haematological diseases such as acquired haemolytic anemia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic

Healthcare Communication Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Healthcare Communication - Annotated Bibliography Example The methods used to get data on what constitutes communication breakdown among the practitioners were one- to- one interviews and a focus group. This article is useful in researching on the different challenges that bring about communication barriers among the medical providers, as well as the preferred remedy to these challenges. The authors indicate the use of a Joint Communication Note (JNC) as a preferred remedy where all the healthcare professionals will get and relay information from and to one another. This article is crucial to the research on the impact of effective communication amongst the healthcare practitioners. Through its findings, it may form the basis to the research though, not in its entirety. O’Daniel, M., Rosenstein, H. A., (2008). Professional Communication and Team Collaboration. Patient safety and quality: Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. Retrieved from; http//www.ahrq.gov/qual/html. In this article O’Daniel & Rosenstein, have brought out the different techniques used to enhance communication among the healthcare providers. This article answers questions such as what ways would enhance communication amongst healthcare providers? What are the common barriers to communication amongst healthcare professionals? They have indicated some of the already used methods in healthcare facilities such as the Simulation- Background- Assessment- Recommendation (SBAR) technique and its effectiveness in enhancing communication. They also propose another method Medical Team Management (MTM) that heavily borrows from the aviation model known as Crew Resource Management (CRM). The strength of this technique is that it was tested and verified at Eglin USAF Regional Hospital and with its advocacy on group formation it can be used in researching the methods to help enhance communication among healthcare professionals. This book by Nemeth emphasizes on the importance of group work and socialization among

Telephonica Global Strategy, Structure, and Operations Essay

Telephonica Global Strategy, Structure, and Operations - Essay Example The economics of scale in producing and marketing a product in the same way worldwide would produce substantially lower costs, and thus allow lower prices that would overcome remaining differences in tastes. According to the case study: "the telecommunications industry has today become the largest in the world, generating $US 1 trillion (US$1,000 billion) in revenues in 1998 in worldwide service revenues and equipment sales. In 1997, telecom services alone generated a revenue in excess of USS650 billion" (Telephonica Today, 1999). Globalization allows Telephonica to maintain high-speed growth through continuous optimization of is product mix and constant technological innovation. It has also realized rapid expansion through capital injections. In 1997 Telephonica became "a completely private company" and has begun to follow a strategy of withdrawing from small markets with limited potential for its core products and to look for markets in countries with a major growth potential for telecommunication industry. "The first half of 1999 was putting Telef6nica's aggressive strategy of investing in Latin America to the test" (Telephonica Today, 1999). The choice of Brazil was not accidental. This market is considered as the most potential one for telecommunication industry because it had the poorest telecommunication infrastructure development among other Latin American countries. The other potential markets were Argentina, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, El Salvador and Chili. The situation is marked by two factor - specification, which is to do with the 'design quality' of service, and conformity, which is to do with the 'process' quality which is achieved are of particular importance to customers. The main challenge is that Telephonica is well-positioned to take on this important global leadership role. It has the global resources and certainly has the technological capability. According to Johnson and Scholes (1998) the size of the investment required by a business wishing to enter an industry is an important determinant of the extent new entrants. The higher the investment required, the less the threat from new entrants. The lower the required investment, the greater is the threat. In this situation: "Telefonica saw opportunity in Latin America whereas most other companies saw risk, and is now present in nine countries with an annual average growth of 13% since 1995" (Telephonica Today, 1999). Another important challenge of global strategy applied by Telephonica is the concept of international culture, which "was absent in the world of telecommunication at that time" (Case study). Latin America has a complex culture which interacts with business in the way of socialization (the influences which shape behaviour in a particular social setting). At its deepest level. In spite this fact, it was more easy for a Spanish-based company to penetrate into Latin American market and gain its competitice position. Another important opportunity is great belief of management team in potential and success. Juan Villalonga commented that "Latin America is to Telefobica what the United States is to AT&T, It is our home, our culture and our language" (Telephonica Today, 1999). In general, it is possible to say that culture in Telephonica is based on the interrelationship of strategy formulation and implementation. The success of the company was caused by correlation of strategy, structure,

HR and performance, High-performance work system and big data Assignment

HR and performance, High-performance work system and big data - Assignment Example Many top organisational behaviour specialists believe that it can be relied on to provide companies that adopt it with a reliable and sustainable competitive edge. Given the popularity and endurance of the concept, it is understandable that it should be seen as a revolutionary method of handling human resources. In addition, quite a number or retrospective and contemporary studies posit that the effect of HRM on job satisfaction and, by extension, organisational performance is positive. However, this is not universal; some studies have portrayed job satisfaction as a primary mediator between HRM practices and organisational performance. On the other hand, others postulate that the implementation of HR practices is associated with increased levels of work intensity, which can translate into better performance but not necessarily higher job satisfaction (Green, 2004). There have also been claims that HRM practices that are adopted as part of high performance work system are not either designed to increase job satisfaction or tend not to have that effect (Appelbaum, 2002). However, some scholars have speculated that HRM tends to impact on separate components of job satisfaction such as a sense of achievement or contentment with ones pay (Green, 2006). However, what cannot be disputed is the fact that, despite the common assumption that HPWS are good for business, many organisations have failed to apply or implement them. This begs the question: If it is that good, why do more people not use it? A great deal has been written about the HPWS in HMR literature, however, despite this, little attention is given to it individually even though it concerns organisational economic; critical area in general economics. High performance work systems can be defined as high involvement or commitment organisations; these use a distinctive managerial approach to facilitate performance

Stop kiss Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Stop kiss - Movie Review Example Live performances allow the audience to see how the actors undergo a sustained three-dimensional experience. In addition, the audience get to touch reality as presented by the actors and identify with some creativity in the artwork. This paper is a response to a performance of the â€Å"Stop Kiss† play. The play is about little triumphs of ordinary people in relationships. Diana Son who put the writings on the page reveals the secrets that befall a contemporary urban life of the mighty and politicians, who have to face a sour aftermath of their hate actions. The Garage Theatre made all this happen on the third Saturday of April 2012 at eight pm. You could read the excitement as the long waited moment of raising the curtains arrived. Garage theatre was celebrating ten years since its inception, which explained the big audience of the day. Callie and Sarah have recently met via a friend after Sarah has joined New York City. They realise that they share many commonalities in that they are in the process of self rediscovery after the diverse lives that are part of their past now. It is a tragedy that the two had a first kiss, which takes their friendship to another level and appears more of a love relationship. A late night walk in the park ends it all after their sight catches a vicious thug who beats Sarah into a coma. The performance was perfect with the audience laughing their hearts out all through the play. The audience encouraged the actors to do it better by laughing it off loudly in moments of humour. Great suspense rocked the audience as Bush and Beth Meticulously made their moves to deliver Diana’s message. Their voices were audible to every corner of the theatre, their movements good utilizing every part of the stage, and they acted professionally. As the play began I thought that the theme was on heterosexual behaviours of our society only to get a different meaning at the climax of the play.

Human Factors and Workplace Safety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Factors and Workplace Safety - Essay Example Organizations should thus, ensure a safe work environment, which protects employees from physical hazards, unhealthy situations and violence from other personal. This is important because employees are the Human Resources of an organization who contribute towards organizational success. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) was passed in 1970 to assure so far as possible every working woman and man in the Nation safe and healthy working conditions and to preserve human resources. The Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970 created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration within the Department of labour in U.S.A. The importance of such laws can be well documented by the statistical survey of Occupational hazards. In 2000, 5.7 million injuries were reported in private sector alone. 5,915 fatalities were reported in 2000 alone due to industrial injuries. The Occupational Safety and Health Act laws cover all the employers and their employees except a few federal governments, or states or political sub-divisions of a state. However, even in such cases, each federal agency is required to establish a Safety and Health program monitored by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. One of the key responsibilities of the Occupational Safety and Health administration has been the develop... These standards have been classified into four categories. 1. General Industry 2. Maritime 3. Construction and 4. Agriculture. These standards cover the workplace, machinery, material, power sources, processing, protective measures, first aid and administrative requirements. The 'Federal Register' is the main source of information on proposed, adapted, amended and deleted OSHA standards. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has the power to set standards on its own account or on petition from other parties, namely, The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Other bodies like state and local governments, recognized standards organization, employer or labour representative can also initiate standard setting. The Secretary of labour is the person authorized by OSHA to conduct inspections of workplaces, to issue citations and impose penalties. He can enter without delay at reasonable times into any factory, plant, establishment, construction site or other places where work is performed by an employee of an employer. He has the power to investigate and inspect at reasonable times, any such work place. Violations on job safety and health can call for a penalty of $7000 to $70,000, depending on the seriousness of the violation. In case of deaths due to willful violation, a penalty upto $2,50,000 for an individual and $5,00,000 for a corporation with imprisonment upto six months can be imposed as per this law.In 2001 alone, $82 million has been imposed as penalties for violation of OSHA standards. Pennzoil products paid $1.5 million after an explosion at its Rouseville, Pennsylvania, refinery killed 5 employees. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration also helps

Level of Prevention Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Level of Prevention - Essay Example ed person is treated and evaluated from the point of view of potential for future risk and (c) tertiary prevention, which includes the involvement of the family and community in ensuring that an abused victim is protected from further abuse and that the physical, psychological and emotional damages caused to the elderly person are addressed, treated and prevented from future occurrence. Rosalie Wolf categorizes primary prevention measures as the use of those screening tools that would help to identify elders who at risk to be abused in the future, while secondary prevention involves the evaluation of an elder who is already being abused in order to assess the risk of future abuse in order to devise appropriate measures to cope with it. (Wolf, 2000). The results of several elderly abuse assessment tools have been combined into one comprehensive test – the H-S/EAST Test (Hwalek Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening test). This test uses a set of 15 assessment criteria which are intended to measure three different levels of abuse (a) actual incidence of direct abuse or a violation of the personal rights of the elderly person (b) the extent to which the elderly person is vulnerable to abuse and individual characteristics that increase vulnerability and (c) the identification of potentially abusive situations. This 15 point assessment tool that is executed through a series of questions wherein the elderly person is asked to list any instances where harm or hurt has been caused and this test has been recently enhanced through the additional of additional questions such as â€Å"Are you afraid of anyone in your family? â€Å"Has anyone close to you called you names or out you down or made you feel bad recently?† (Scofield et al, 1999). The efficacy of this test was also tested in a study conducted in a city in Florida to assess abuse among the elderly living in public housing and the results of the study suggested that the test is useful in measuring various facets of abuse,