...Improving The Safety Of Using Medications In Hospital Settings Background Improving the safety of using medications was the third Joint Commission safety goal for 2014 (Hospital National Patient Safety Goals, n.d.). Every year medication errors are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitals. Simply put, medication errors come from incorrect dosing by physicians on prescriptions, administration of the wrong dose of the prescribed medication to the patient, failure of the healthcare provider to administer prescribed medication, or failure of the patient to ingest said prescribed medication (Choo, J., Hutchinson, A., & Bucknall, T., 2010). Role of the Nurse According to the Journal of Nursing Management, nurses should practice the five rights of administration that they are taught while in school. Those rights are: right medication, right dose, right route, right time, and right patient (Choo, J., Hutchinson, A., & Bucknall, T., 2010). While checking the five rights is useful in the final stages of the administration process, the rights do not reflect the other complex steps to medication administration, such as preparation, labeling, determining interaction, etc. Normally medication errors are never the result of an isolated human error. They may come from workplace stress, distractions, interruptions, insufficient training, and misinformation (Choo, J., Hutchinson, A., & Bucknall, T., 2010). The individual nurse should make sure that...
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...Syllabus-MBA (Hospital Administration) PAPER – I: BASIC CONCEPT OF HEALTH -Code MHA 101 Concept of Health and Disease • Concept of health & disease and well being. • Natural history of disease and role of hospitals to offer various levels of care • Prevention aspect of diseases • Dynamics of disease transmission • Changing pattern of diseases • Concept of health indicators Preliminary Human anatomy and Physiology • Basic concepts of human anatomy • Basic concepts of human physiology Suggested Reading: Human Anatomy- Prof. Samar Mitra Human Anatomy- Prof. A. K. Dutta Text Book of Human Physiology- Dr. C. C. Chatterjee Common Pathological Conditions • Basic concepts of pathogenesis of common diseases • Basic concepts of interpretation of investigations reports Suggested Reading: Robbin’s Textbook of Pathology – Robbin, Cotran, Kumar Textbook of Microbiology – Ananantanarayan & Paniker Basic concepts of Pharmacology: Commonly used Medicine in a hospital, Narcotic drugs, use and abuse of drugs. Dispensing of medicine, Drugs store, drug stock / purchase of medicine, oxygen, I/V Fluid, Chemicals etc. Suggested Reading: Textbook of Pharmacology: Dr. K. D. Tripathi PAPER – 2: Hospital Based Healthcare & Its changing scenario-Code MHA 102 Overview of Hospital • Concept of Modern Hospital & Privatization in Health Sector • Public Sector Hospitals and Level of care / offered facilities ...
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...Abstract Healthcare unlike many high-risk industries has made slow progress in improving patient’s safety. The role of nursing in improving medication safety has been largely underestimated. Much of the research undertaken to date in relation to adverse medication events has neglected the impact that nurses have or could have in improving patient safety. In examining literature regarding adverse medication events one can see the urgent need for significant improvement in medication practices and processes. In addition that this health care issue will only improve with the participation of all disciplines working towards a common goal of improving the safety of those in our care. Introduction Medications play a key role in healthcare but can also be a significant key cause of medical error and of adverse patient outcomes. Nurses by the nature of their roles in medication administration can be the last line of defense in eliminating or reducing adverse medication events. The administration of medication is a common and almost routine activity in a nurse’s daily work, yet it is fraught with complexity and risk for both the patient and nurse. As a student nurse working in partnership with a registered nurse I have observed a variety of practices in medication administration that have varied from what I have been taught in class. On reflecting on these practices and questioning nurses why such practice has been adopted has illustrated to me both the flawed processes and environment...
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...with street children, the homeless, healthcare for the poor, battered women, etc. Some of these areas of need have, over time, attracted other providers who see a business opportunity, resulting in a competitive setting. In India, the church-owned hospitals are an example of commitment–based organizations facing a competitive situation. Most church-owned hospitals in the country when there was little private or government healthcare, with a strong commitment to provide health care to the poor. Over the years, the number of healthcare providers has increased, the technology of healthcare provision has changed, funding for care of the poor is no longer easily available, and the founders of the hospitals have handed over leadership to the next generation. Managing such commitment-based organizations in this changed environment is a challenging task. A case-based study of 6 Indian church-owned hospitals was undertaken to understand how this challenge can be addressed. The findings suggest that such organizations need to have three primary areas of management focus: a) managing the operations b) managing the environment, and c) managing the ideology. Managing the operations refers to day-to-day functioning of the organization. Managing the environment includes dealing with strategic issues. Managing the ideology refers to keeping people committed to the core purpose of the organization. The better-performing hospitals paid serious attention to all the...
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...Candice Kessler Health Care Policy, Law and Ethics Strayer University April 29, 2012 As the chief executive officer of this non-profit community hospital, I would have to consider the legal, ethical and professional aspects of this case. The first legal consideration is duty of responsibility. In a healthcare organization, management functions begin with the senior administration. This includes the chief executive officer. The responsibilities of senior administration include the following duties: support the governing board in its strategic planning and policymaking activities, carry out the board’s policies and strategic goals, communicate board policies and the strategic plan to employees and the medical staff, oversee day-to-day hospital operations, measure the quality of patient care, manage operating funds, select qualified junior executives, and conduct necessary business transactions. Management must report regularly to the governing board on the status of all of these activities (Showalter, 2008). In this case, it could be suggested that I, as CEO, neglected to adequately oversee day-to-day hospital operations which led to the staffing issues. It should also be asked if I reported the issue to the governing board. The second legal consideration is negligence. A healthcare provider can be held liable for the negligence of others, even though he has not been personally negligent. This is called vicarious liability, and is based on...
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...Hospital Workplace and Patient safety: The first interventions for positive outcome Outline of the Article I. Backgound II. Objective III. Errors due to fatigue of nursing personnel IV. Healthcare Associated Infections V. Personal Protective equipments VI. Hand Hygiene VII. Transitions of care and Patient Handoffs VIII. Conclusion IX. References Hospital Workplace and Patient safety: The first interventions for positive outcome Background Safety of any workplace is very important in optimizing productivity and preventing the incidences of accidents and casualties. Hospitals are one of the significant areas where safety is of prime concern not only for the employees and care givers, but also for the patients who are admitted for receiving health care. A compromise on safety jeopardizes the goodwill of the hospital and delays health outcome in patients and prolongs their stay in the hospital. Apart from that if safe methods and interventions are not followed it ca impact the nursing personnel, other health care providers and administrative staff, that will lead to the economical and financial burden of the hospital. Hence ensuring safety in hospitals is of prime importance (ISMP,2010). The present article will discuss some...
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...Health Care Administration Health care administrators have wide-ranging influence within the world of medicine. The leadership that these professionals provide sets the future course not only for the facilities they manage but also for the health care system as a whole. A health care administrator is responsible for establishing health care standards, making strategic policy decisions and implementing the personnel management procedures necessary to support his/her vision. In addition to the internal leadership they provide, health care administrators are leaders within the greater community as well. They partner with other health care organizations, comply with government regulations, advocate and testify on behalf of health care policies, and maintain campuses that are significant to communities. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012-13) A bachelor’s degree is the typical entry-level preparation needed for health care administration jobs. Some employers, however, will promote from within or hire other professionals with related experience, such as nurses, who are ideal for an administrative role because of their direct health care knowledge. For high-level executive positions, a graduate education is usually the starting point. This means attaining an MBA, or a different type of master’s degree, or a doctorate in health administration. In most areas of health care administration, a license is not needed. One notable exception is for administrators of long-term care nursing...
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...Abstract One might think that a hospitals soul operations is to provide doctors and nurses to assist patients with their sickness and diseases. However, there is a ton of operations and systems that go on in the background. At Patton-Fuller Community Hospital, they split up their business information systems in four ways. Patton-Fuller Community Hospital use this system to improve communication and collaboration between senior management, employees, doctors, nurses and patients. In addition, the current system is suppose to improve the efficiency of hospital operations, relationships with current and future patients, and assist senior executives in managing hospital finances. PFCH System Breakdown The current breakdown of the business information system is split between the following: Accounting and Finance Information System, Human Resources Information System, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Information System, Knowledge Management (KM) Information System. These four systems combine creates Patton-Fuller Community Hospital. The Accounting and Finance Information System; is primarily used by senior executives. The Patton-Fuller senior executives use this system to manage, cash flow, assets, liabilities, and net income. After all this information has been entered into this system PFCH has the ability to generate financial statements in which are requirements by federal regulations. For example, at the end of the month, someone from the PFCH team will enter in all...
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...Global Health: India Healthcare offers many opportunities and challenges for several countries. The purpose of this paper is to summarize India’s health care structure, health care policy, access to care issues, cost related to how much is spent, where the money comes from, and how it is spent, the role of nursing, and strengths and weaknesses of the system. In India, there has been a promising change over the last decade as the government has introduced many structural reforms and a private sector that has shown unprecedented growth. Despite these advances, the shifting demographics, socio-economic status, and changes in disease patterns is making a challenging journey more difficult (Binnendijk, Koren, & Dror, 2012). Three main challenges of India’s health care can be broadly defined as access, capacity to pay, and quality care. Healthcare challenges will become progressively more difficult over time as India is expected to be the most populated country in the world by 2028 (Haub, Gribble, & Jacobsen, 2011). India’s health care structure includes public and private hospitals, voluntary health agencies, national health programs, as well as traditional Ayurvedic medicine (Shrivastava, Shrivastava, & Ramasamy, 2013). The majority of health care centers are government owned and regulated. These urban centers have private hospitals that provide excellent care. The fragmented health care delivery means lots of small hospitals and clinics scattered over enormous geographical areas...
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...For the past thirteen years, I have worked in healthcare administration. Five years were spent working in Managed Care and the other eight has been spent working in information technology. Over these thirteen years, I have witnessed a lot changes and growth with healthcare becoming acclimated with incorporating information technology into its workflow. In my current role as a project manager, I have been in charge of implementing several information technology projects that will enhance the way physicians and nurses care for their patients. For a hospital, its main goal is caring for their patients. Day in and day out, hospital workers continuously strive to improve the safety and quality of care for their patients. Research has proven that when certain types of information technology, such as CPOE (computerized physician order entry), computerized decision support systems, barcode scanning for medication administration, computerized health care records, can decrease human error and improve care and efficiency. Hospitals have long been pioneers in incorporating IT to improve patient care, quality, and efficiency. The current challenge now is to extend the use of information technology and integrate it into the routine care processes in all hospitals, both big and small, and in rural and urban areas. Hospitals who are interested in developing electronic medical records and other health information systems must overcome quite a few barriers to actually implementing these...
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...Applied Legal Concepts in Healthcare Law Brewster v. University Hospital This paragraph will include a summary from the case which was obtained from the Healthcare Law Writing Assignment. In December 31, 1987 the Brewster’s had a daughter Emma that was born a week premature. Emma was transported to Children’s Hospital Medical Center the next day when she began showing signs of respiratory distress. She was treated by Dr. Craig Jackson, a neonatologist employed by the University of Washington. Emma suffered from hyperbilirubinemia, or jaundice, caused by elevated levels of bilirubin, a substance that is released into the bloodstream. Jaundice is not uncommon among infants as approximately a third or more of all newborns at the intensive care unit at Children’s hospital have jaundice. Greatly elevated bilirubin levels can result in permanent in brain damage. When Emma was admitted to Children’s Hospital, her serum bilirubin level was 4.2 micrograms per deciliter. It gradually increased to as high as 22.0 mcg/dl on January 7, 1988, then decreased to 5.7 mcg/dl on January 18, 1988. The type of jaundice Emma experience is generally treated with phototherapy. More serious cases are treated with a transfusion of all the blood in the infant’s body, a treatment entailing greater risks including cardiac arrhythmia, bleeding, bacterial infection and the development of air bubbles in the circulatory system. Dr. Martin prescribed phototherapy for Emma, which was unsuccessful, and Emma...
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...Finance in the healthcare industry can be a very tricky subject. The primary role of finance in the health services is to plan for, obtain, and make use of resources to increase the productivity and value of the business (Nowicki 2007). Finance is a very important part of the health care industry. It keeps everything on track and in order so that things operate successfully. Without the right person(s) helping to operate the place of business the company can be in a great deal of trouble. When I think of finance I think of cash. In today’s economy cash flow is at its all time low. More people are trying to cut cost and much as they can. This means less doctor visits and sometime not going to the doctor at all. Which means that if your health care business is use to seeing a certain amount of patients and that number suddenly stops that can put some jobs at jeopardy. The role of finance has increased in the healthcare industry. Like I stated previously cash flow is at an all time low. With the high demands of hospitals, long term care, nursing homes, special practices and assisted living, the need for healthcare and funding is growing daily. There is a different age group that is being more catered to due to the aging population around. Funding is necessary for all levels of healthcare organizations, and there are some governmental hospitals/facilities, non-profit, and privately funded that need to be aware of the fast paced changes that are being made financially in the world...
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...Introduction Today, implementation of different types of healthcare information systems and technology has become significant for the delivery of cost-efficient and quality health care. With the help of different types of information systems in healthcare service organizations, they have become able to contribute in better health service management and delivery of quality healthcare (Blum, 2012). Use of different information systems also affirms the knowledge base necessitated for clinical and administrative decision making as discussed here in this paper. Description of different Categories of Information Systems Clinical: Information Produced: A clinical information system (CIS) is a compilation of a variety of information technology applications that allows for a central repository of information associated to patient care throughout distributed locations. This repository comprises the patient's history of sicknesses and his/her interactions with care providers by encryption of knowledge competent to assist clinicians determine about the patient's state, treatment options, and wellness activities (Sittig et. al., 2002). The repository also converts the position of decisions, actions ongoing for those decisions, and applicable information useful to perform those actions. As well, the database also produces information about the patient, including his/her genetic, environmental, and social...
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...reveals specific guidelines and methods to provide consistent and dependable quality services. This paper will discuss QI while focusing on quality management’s role and importance in health care, stakeholder’s different views of quality, QI roles, and what areas in health care require monitoring. Additionally, involved accrediting and regulatory organizations in QI and helpful resources and organizations that affect QI will be discussed. Quality Management According to Kelly (2011), quality management refers to how managers operating in various types of health services organizations and settings understand, explain, and continuously improve their organizations to allow them to deliver quality and safe patient care, promote quality patient and organizational outcomes, and improve health in their communities” (pp. 9). Therefore, the purpose of quality management is to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, and safety of health care processes to achieve quality outcomes. Management can achieve this through providing effective leadership, ensuring competency among staff, identifying opportunities to improve processes and performance, and measuring clinical and operational performance (Spath, 2014). “Quality management within healthcare has grown in importance in recent years and this is due to the fact that hospitals believe that quality...
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...of integrated healthcare systems has created an impetus for installing computer networks. Glandon, Smaltz and Slovensky (2010) stated that integrated healthcare systems helped create the impetus for installing computer networks because information housed in one system may be “ incompatible with the data format” of information stored in another system. Information technology has an important and expanding role in the delivery of high quality healthcare services. Until recently health informatics systems have generally been developed as independent centralized databases. With computing communications technologies now being introduced into major hospitals, many new information services can now be provided to enhance the patient-care provider interaction. The main applications are the office suit and web-browsers. Most companies are moving toward web interface applications and internet explorer is the front runner for testing purposes. References Egan, G. (2005). Computers and networks in medical and healthcare systems. Glandon, G.L., Smaltz, D.H., & Slovensky, D.J. (2008). Austin and boxerman's Information systems for healthcare management (7th ed.). Chicago. Illinois: Health Administration Press. Suggest how the use of a patient ID bracelet containing a bar-code representation of the patient’s ID and a bar-code scanner can lead to improved quality of care in a hospital. new technology, such as patient ID and a bar-code scanner, allows the hospital to increase the...
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