Essays on Medication

Abstract

Medication errors is a more common situation that imagined. With 1.5 million American sickened, injured or killed annually, due to medication errors, it is essential that we move forward with a solution that could save people’s lives and the nation’s extra $3.5 billion in medical costs. Medication errors occur for various reasons, mainly due to dose mix-ups, harmful drug interactions and unclear prescriptions, during the prescribing medication process and during patient transitions. Good news is that all medication errors can be prevented with proper measures and education for both health care providers and patients alike. A win-win, Continue reading...

Fall A2013

Abstract
The security of patients in hospitals has constantly attracted aggressive controversies. Most people agree that all efforts must be pulled together to ensure that the safety and security of the patients is guaranteed. However, in an institution struggling with increased amounts of medication errors and the implementation of the electronic medical record (EMR), ensuring safety of the patients becomes a serious challenge to many institutions. The nature of security required calls for the people to implement solutions that should match the expectations of the patients in their security at the hospitals. The level of technology used in the Continue reading...

Introduction

The desire of various countries to have a competitive health care system, a system where patients are able to get better medical services, has been on creating concern in the modern days. In order to make this a reality, most countries have come up with different strategies of ensuring better healthcare provision. For instance, they have enacted various laws and regulations to govern such provisions, which have led to the development of certain healthcare policies (Barr, 2011). These include policies regarding access to care, cost of care and quality of care among others policies. It is through these policies Continue reading...

Implementation Plan for Nurses in Addressing

Implementation Plan for Nurses in
Addressing Medication Errors
The problem with medication errors has been around for many years and is considered a serious healthcare concern in the US which may be responsible for the death or injury of a patient. While preventing medication errors may be simple, bringing it to public light has helped accomplish some improvements. Despite several countermeasures to alleviate the rampant problem, complete eradication of medication errors still remains a big challenge.
Medication errors have come to public attention upon the release of the report done by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 1999 entitled Continue reading...

Research (compare and contrast) two automated hospital dispensing systems - PYXIS, OMNICELL, etc. List the pros and cons of each system.

AUTOMATED HOSPITAL DISPENSING SYSTEMS.

A hospital automation system is a set of elements put together to facilitate the processes and activities in a hospital. It’s mainly designed to eliminate the manual running of activities in a hospital. These systems can be designed in different ways and they operate in different ways but they are all aimed at achieving almost similar objectives (David & Brown 2010).
Among the many automated hospital dispensing systems are the PYXIS, OMNICELL which have products like the OMNICELL’ Continue reading...

Medication processes entail the cooperation of healthcare professionals such as a physician, pharmacists and nurses that play major roles in medication processes. The procedure usually starts from the physician's prescription, towards pharmacist’s administration and then the nurses' contribution towards monitoring and administration to the patients. We need to understand that along these medication processes is where medication errors tend to occur. This is a major concern for both the patients and healthcare professional.
According to the definition of the American National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP), the medication error can be defined as " Continue reading...

Medical error refers to wrong administration of medication with the intention of healing. Medication errors have serious direct and indirect harm to the patient. The medication errors arise from various parts but mostly they arise because of system breakdown. The medication errors lead to many costs. The direct costs include direct harm to the patient. It sometimes even leads to loss of lives and disability. It leads to loss of income through the need for replacements. It leads to loss of assurance in the health care professionals. The satisfaction of the patients and the practitioners reduces. The patients who Continue reading...

Theories/Concepts in Professional Nursing

UNRS270
Medication administration is one of the many areas in nursing where critical thinking is essential in providing effective and safe care. According to Dictionary.com, the term critical thinking is defined as “disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence.” Without a clear understanding of my responsibilities, flexibility and the ability to analyze and rationalize surges of new information in the field of medicine and pharmaceuticals, I would be putting my patients at risk. These responsibilities include but are not limited to knowing the factors that influence pharmacokinetics as well as applying time-tested standards and systems Continue reading...

Stetina, Pamela - Groves, Michael - Pafford, Leslie. (2005). Managing medication errors - a qualitative study. MEDSURG Nursing, 14 (3). 174-178.
The purpose of the study was to examine the management of medication errors by practicing nurses by exploring the ways which the nurses describe medication errors, how they make decisions concerning the reporting of medication errors, and finally, how their day-today practices is affected by medication errors. The research submitted that, 44,000 to 98,000 individuals people die every year in hospitals as a result of preventable medical errors. Medication errors results to increased in-patient costs increased Continue reading...

1. State how this adverse event could have been prevented.
Adherence to protocols, policies and standards regarding medication administration prevents medication errors (Breeding et al., 2013). Prior to administering any medication, the six rights of medication administration must be fulfilled: right drug, right dose, right route, right time, right patient and right documentation. Upon procurement of the medication, drug label information must be compared with the prescription on the chart to ensure that they match. Visual comparison prevents errors from drugs that sound and look the same. To avoid confusion, studies show that it is best to check the Continue reading...

Introduction

Medication process is the series of steps involved in the administration of medication to patients. The process begins from prescription to monitoring and evaluation of the effect of the drug on the patient. A number of health professionals are involved at different stages of the process with physicians participating in the initial stages and nurses at later stages as they are the ones who administer the medication to patients. It is, therefore, important that an effective coordination be ensured so that the process is free of medication errors. Medication errors refer to occurrences of avoidable nature that may harm Continue reading...

Report Supporting Purchase of an

Executive Summary
The present report provides the support and justification for the purchase of an electronic medication administration records (eMAR) system for the hospital. Medication errors are a serious concern within the business of healthcare and information technology is now available to address the issues causing many of the more egregious problems in this area. In particular, eMAR systems have proven to increase the chances of the right patient receiving the right medication in the right dose through the right route at the right time. These aspects of patient care are fundamental to high quality and are too important Continue reading...

Introduction

Children are exposed to various scenarios where they engage in different symptoms at one point or another. The adolescence level is the most prevalent as children are exposed to different point where they have to be medicated to curb the scenarios of changes in their physical, cognitive ad social lives. Most of the children today take drugs in order to focus on their day to day activities. This has come as a result of parenting activities that drive children into engaging in activities that are not within their capacity. The conditions related to childhood medication include attention Deficit Hyperactivity Continue reading...

Introduction:

- The impact of medication/dosage calculation

Position: Nursing faculty improves student performance with medication/dosage calculation

Body: Relevant information
- importance of medication and dosage calculation
- types of calculations
- A clear connection between nursing faculty and medication/ dosage calculation

Conclusion

- Summary
- Recommendation based on the reviewed literature.

References

The sources used included at the end of this paper
Introduction
Dosage calculation is the computation of the amount of medication to be administered in a required dose, strength and unit volume. Calculations are significant sources of medication errors (Cowan, 2009). The patient safety depends on the practitioner ability to calculate dosage accurately and in a timely manner. The Continue reading...

Introduction 3

Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy 3
Summary of Model 4
Strengths and Weaknesses of Treatment 6
Medication Treatment Approaches 7
Medication Assessment Treatment 8
Strengths and Weaknesses of Treatment 11
Therapeutic Modality use with a patient with a Substance Disorder 11
Ethical, legal, Individual and Socio-Cultural Implications 12
Conclusion 12

References: 13

Addiction Treatments
Introduction
In the past, there were times when the society actually looked at drug addiction as some kind of a flaw that was moral. Research shows that popular "treatments" did things much different than they did today. For instance, it involved imprisonment, sentencing to drug users to the Continue reading...

Electronic Medication Administration Record System

Research Supporting the Purchase of an
Electronic Medication Administration Record System

Introduction

Medication errors in the United States are estimated to cause approximately 7000 deaths annually and cost approximately $2 billion in added health care spending. Improving the safety outcomes of medication-use processes in hospitals has been cited as a means of addressing this issue. Careful and planned use of information technology is a proven approach to solve a majority of medication errors made with paper-based systems (Paoletti et al., 2007). Computer-based systems have been found to provide much better compliance with the “five rights” of medication administration: right patient, Continue reading...

Introduction

Delivery of healthcare is not inerrant, and the preponderance of medication errors is a perennial problem in the clinical field. It should be noted that a majority of the medication errors are not life threatening. However, it is the reason for many wrongful deaths in the United States and is a factor in the morbidity and mortality statistics recorded in the medical field.

Omissions and Commissions

Medication errors can be caused by undesirable commission and omissions by the medical personnel. Omissions occur where the medication is not administered fully while commissions occur when there is inappropriate administration of medication. Omissions occur whereby Continue reading...

Amongst mentally ill patients at high risk for early readmission, does the utilization of a multi-component transition care plan as compared to usual care help to improve early readmission rates?

Abstract

The early hospital readmission rate in a 30-bed psychiatric unit in California is 25%. This figure is higher than the 13% reported in the literature for high-income countries like the US (Vigod et al., 2013). Early readmissions are problematic as they are costly and disruptive to the personal and professional lives of patients and their family members. In addition, they are construed to be negative patient outcomes and negative Continue reading...

Nursing

Introduction
Considering all the knowledge that I have picked up from the course, medication adherence became a significant factor that assisted me in my internship. Medication adherence is a cluster of behavior that is simultaneously influenced by several factors. It is an extent to which an individual’s behaviors affects the manner of taking medication, following a prescribed diet, and following a lifestyle that has a direct effects towards healthy lifestyle. My journal encompasses the accounts of experiences that I gained from my internship and putting emphasis on areas of student life, and community service. Above all, the experiences Continue reading...

Abstract

Medication errors are still experienced in clinical settings in spite of the current technological advancements. Nurses play a crucial role in the provision of care including medical therapy to patients. In line with this, they ought to be trained on how to avoid medication errors. In this paper, a case scenario in which a nurse administers wrong vaccines to two patients with similar names is assessed. In addition, it gives strategies that can be used to prevent the occurrence of such a medication error. Nursing leadership, minimization of communication barriers between patients and nurses, a decent duty delegation process Continue reading...

Over the recent years, the number of patients having physical therapy for pain management has drastically increased. Physical therapy involves physical exercises such as stretching and a range of motion exercises aimed at maintaining flexibility, strength, and mobility. Physical therapy embraces hot and cold therapy to mitigate pain in body parts. Chronic pain among people is one of the major ailments which have presented itself people around the world. People have, over the years, been using drugs in mitigating chronic pains. There has been a persistent use of prescribed medicines to manage pain. Improvement in technology and medical skills Continue reading...

Over the recent years, the number of patients having physical therapy for pain management has drastically increased. Physical therapy involves physical exercises such as stretching and a range of motion exercises aimed at maintaining flexibility, strength, and mobility. Physical therapy embraces hot and cold therapy to mitigate pain in body parts. Chronic pain among people is one of the major illnesses, which have presented itself people around the world. People have, over the years, been using drugs in mitigating chronic pains. There has been a persistent use of prescribed medicines to manage pain. Improvement in technology and medical skills Continue reading...

Technology in nursing has been touted as a means for promoting the free exchange of information as it protects the privacy of patients and improves efficiency and quality of care (Agrawal, 2009). However, the potential benefits of technology have not yet been realized fully largely because of lack of adoption of standardized technology for creating the needed infrastructure for attaining these goals (Blumenthal & Tavenner, 2010). Some nurses have only seen the various technological changes in the nursing profession as just normal changes but have not utilized these changes for the benefit they come with (Carayon et al. 2010). The Continue reading...

Abstract

The topic of this paper is regarding the effects of the nursing shortage on patient safety and adverse events. Due to the nursing shortage, there is an increase inare registered more patient adverse events and there is increasedthe risk to the patient’s safety increased. If the nursing shortage problem is not correctedsolved, then there will be a continuance ofcontinue increase in the risk to patient safety risk , andas well as harm to the patient. In the paper there is provided Aan explanation of the nursing shortage, the its cause of the shortage, how the shortageit affects patient safety, Continue reading...

1st Essay

The thesis statement of this paper aims to supports the use of teaching social skills to ADHD children unlike the various limitations ADHD medications has. The paper essay maps first describes the three points regarding ADHD medication in the first essay and later describes the opposing side supporting teaching social skills on the second essay. The topic sentences that connect each paragraph with this essay map include the sides’ effects of ADHD medications, ADHD potential addictions and drug abuse as well as addressing the key root of the problem. These factors discourage the use of Continue reading...

In this modern age of therapists and medication, it would seem that everybody is on some type of medication. Once unthinkable to speak about depression, anxiety, or any other psychological disorder in public, now it can be difficult to find individuals who have spent their lives undiagnosed, even at young ages. Children are branded as hyperactive, anxious, depressed, and a plethora of over disorders that require medication. With so much medication being prescribed, on wonders where is the line between legitimately sick and overly medicated? It has recently come to the attention of the medical community that though there Continue reading...

Executive Summary of a Hospital’s Computerized Prescriber Ordering System Hospital Project

Executive Summary of a Hospital’s Computerized Prescriber Ordering System Hospital Project

The purpose of the computerized prescriber ordering system (CPOE) project is to reduce the relative risk for medication errors and associated adverse events and costs at the hospital through implementation of an electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) system. The ultimate goal of the project is to improve the safety, value, and quality of patient care. Reduction of medication errors is thus an intermediate goal in the pursuit of the overall goal. The purpose of the project is aligned with the hospital’s mission. The hospital’s mission is to Continue reading...

Introduction

Research, according to Burns and Grove (2011), means to examine carefully. In essence, it is a diligent, systematic study, which refines or validates existing knowledge or develops new knowledge. Planning, organization and persistence are the key underpinnings of a diligent and systematic study. The main objective of nursing research is to develop an empirical body of knowledge for this profession. In addition, Burns and Grove (2011) contend that reading and critiquing research studies requires learning of new terms, understanding the steps of the research process and applying a variety of analytical skills. This paper critiques a study conducted by Continue reading...

Abstract

Patients put immense trust in the healthcare providers, and in return expect safety in their hands. Healthcare Informatics, and electronic health records in particular goes a long way in ensuring their safety. The EHR improves care through safer, more accurate and complete information being shared among all the healthcare providers. Wait times for appointments - procedures, and access to community care facilities - are reduced. So are for the laboratory test results and clinical diagnosis. The electronic systems also ensure enhanced security of health information through encryption. It also allows doctors access to secured patients’ information. These include patient Continue reading...

Introduction

Medication errors are likely to exist until clinicians and nurses remain humans. The question is what medical staff and nurses should do in case medication error occurs. In this regard ethical and legal implications of disclosure and non-disclosure of the information concerning medication error are most often being discussed. Although vast majority of medical specialists consider it necessary to disclose medication errors to patients, in reality many doctors and nurses may prefer not to disclose this information, thus placing their own interests over the ones of the patient (Mazor, Reed, Yood, Fischer, Baril and Gurwitz, 2006, p.74). For the Continue reading...

Problem

Diabetes has become a major health concern throughout the world; Lewis et al. (2007) state that in the United States (U.S.), an estimated 20.8 million people (7% of the population) have diabetes mellitus, and 41 million more people have pre-diabetes. It has become the fifth leading cause of death in America. The major goals of diabetic management are the reduction of symptoms, promotion of well-being, prevention of acute complications of high glucose levels, and the prevention or delaying of onset and progression of long-term and lasting complications. These goals can only be reached with patient compliance to prescribed treatment Continue reading...

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Connected Health: A Review Of Technologies And Strategies To Improve Patient Care With Telemedicine And Telehealth

- Joseph Kvedar1,
- Molly Joel Coye2 and
- Wendy Everett3,*
+ Author Affiliations
- 1Joseph Kvedar is director of the Center for Connected Health at Partners HealthCare System, in Boston, Massachusetts.
- 2Molly Joel Coye is chief innovation officer at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Health, UCLA Medical Center, in Los Angeles.
- 3Wendy Everett () is president of NEHI ( Continue reading...

Q. 1 Assess Mrs Daps’ medication chart. Discuss three (3) significant risks involved with Mrs Dap’ home and/or inpatient use of medicines.

Based on Mrs Dap’s medication chart, it shows that the patient is being administered with regular, variable dose and PRN medications. The patient requires several medications that are specific to her condition. However, the number of medications scheduled for Mrs Dap could potentially cause a medication interaction, even though each targets specific condition. For example, the patient is being administered with 10mg of Felodipine daily, which is a CCB type of medication. However, calcium channel blockers Continue reading...

Introduction

Medical science is showing a great progress and there are new and improved solutions that are coming in the market to fight with the diseases, however still there are few diseases which remain a concern and despite the availability of medication the probability of effectiveness remains a challenge.
Schizophrenia is a chronic disease which is really severe and may end up disabling the brain; it is true that almost one percent population will develop Schizophrenia during their Continue reading...

Pharmacists are one of the important medical staff in different settings in order to provide adequate medical assistance to their clients. There are various pharmacy settings in which pharmacists themselves must be aware of the roles they need to play so as to prevent medical errors.

Pharmacists’ Role and Different Settings

Retail Pharmacy
One of the pharmacy settings is the Retail Pharmacy. This setting is an independent pharmacy, which includes, but not limited to supermarket and chain pharmacy. Retail pharmacies have the license to dispense medicines to the general customers. However, this type of setting does not involve dispensing prescription medications either through nursing Continue reading...

Media for products offering relief for sufferers from depression, anxiety and other mental health issue contribute to misconceptions surrounding mental health. Many of the advertisements suggest that depression, anxiety, bipolar, etc. can be cured simply by taking a pill, and the reality is much more complex than simply taking a pill. Mental health is an ongoing process that requires different treatments for different sufferers. Not only does the medication and dose vary, auxiliary treatments, such as therapy and lifestyle changes are also necessary for many patients.

Medication is Different from Other Products

Advertising’s job is to make a person feel like they really need Continue reading...

Introduction

Alternative medicines are those medications that are said to have similar healing effect to medicine but they have not yet been proven scientifically, to add on this alternative medicines have not yet been incorporated into the medicine curriculum in schools These type of medication vary from therapies to health care products and practices (Barrett, 2003, p. 424). However since alternative medicines are not scientifically proven, there are many side-effects associated with them. Therefore, this essay shall cover the negative effects of alternative medicines, the paper shall also cover the benefits of conventional medicines over the alternative medicine.
One of Continue reading...

The management of chronic diabetes self-care programs is mainly the responsibility of the patient. In primary care, nurses normally emphasize the prevention of complications and adherence to diabetes self management regimes. However, compliance to diabetes self-care programs is always a challenge for many diabetes patients. Diabetes self-management programs require patients to make many lifestyle and dietary changes. Diabetes patients need to be highly motivated to adopt and conform to the lifestyle changes in diabetes self-care programs (Perry & Collins, 2009). This paper describes the process of implementing a protocol for motivational interviewing for diabetes patients at Ben Taub Hospital in Continue reading...

Medical errors cause up to 98,000 people to die annually in the United States. They are the fifth leading cause of death and cost the United States $29 billion annually (Kohn 1999 in Al-Assaf, 2003). Medication errors result in devastating effects on the practice of a healthcare worker and a hospital where it is reported. It increases morbidity and mortality. It also heightens hospital cost and promotes litigations with concomitant bad PR. Healthcare administrators must be proactive to prevent these errors by creating learning communities among healthcare workers. They must rise up to the occasion when it occurs Continue reading...

Section 1: Introductory Concepts

1. Discuss the roles of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) in the provision of drugs.
The role of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is to assess the therapeutic goods available in Australia, monitoring them and measuring the standards in which they are being made (PBS, 2011). Furthermore, the TGA ensures that therapeutic advances are made accessedible to the public quickly but safely. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is a scheme that enmakes sures that Australians throughout the country are provided access to the medicines that they need, through the administration of health care Continue reading...