...Nurses are the fine line between medication administration errors and medication administration error prevention. Nurses should be required to go above and beyond to avoid medication errors for the safety of the patient. This paper includes studies on the nurses knowledge, adherence and opinions on two-nurse double-check method for medication administration. The research concludes the evidence proved to be insignificant. Keywords: time management, medication errors, patient safety, double-check medication administration THE LINK BETWEEN INDEPENDENT DOUBLE CHECK AND PATIENT SAFETY Introduction The risk of medication errors will always exist, despite the many methods of preventing medication administration errors. The steps of the medication administration process are vital for patient safety. Unfortunately due to the lack of nurses in hospitals, nurses tend to skip steps of safe medication administration because of patient load and the time required to perform the steps. Are double checks essential in preventing medication errors? A diabetic patient on the medical-surgical floor needs the...
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...Oppressed It is my choice to laugh at those who condemn our history for the are dared to repeat it It is my choice to support the Donald Ramoutar’s Government And it will remain my choice to stay true to myself and stand up for what I believe in No we do not have the perfect system. No we do not have the perfect Nurses. No we do not have the perfect Doctors. No we do not have the perfect Facilities. But ask yourself ….. Are the nurses/doctors/ other health care workers the ones who urine and defecate on the floors? Are the nurses/doctors/ other health care workers the ones who break the cistern every single day? Are the nurses/doctors/ other health care workers the ones who shove plastic bottles, sanitary napkins and cloth down the toilet bowls? Are the nurses/doctors/ other health care workers the ones who throw garbage all over the compound even though there are bins everywhere? NO, they are the ones who have to clean it every single day, they are ones who are faced with criticisms and insults every single day, and they are the ones who never get a smile or a thank you not even a single day. They are the ones who work for their wages and try their best to ensure that their families are clothed and fed. They are the ones who are always there in your time of need and they are the ones who do not ask you to pay before you get medical attention. If the Government of Guyana changes it is the same people, the same medical staff who will be there working to serve you and...
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...(HMO) of Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO). Functional nursing is a task oriented environment, which each health care provider is assigned a task and reports to a head nurse. In team nursing, which will be discussed more in depth later, involves a nurse that is in charge of group of different members that takes care of a group of patients. Primary nursing, also discussed more in depth in this paper, involves a primary nurse that cares for all needs of a patient within a 24 hour time frame. Lastly, there is patient-focused care and this method involves the patient, the patient’s family, and the health care team to collectively make decisions about the health care for that individual. Primary and team nursing will be explained further in detail throughout this paper as well as being compared to one another as well as the difference between them explained. Furthermore how these methods are appropriate in today’s health care facilities will also be investigated. Primary Nursing Care Primary care nursing is a system in which one nurse is caring for all the needs of a patient or more within a 24 hour period from admission to discharge (CITE). This nurse is responsible for all necessary nursing care that the patient required during the shift. When the primary nurse is off of shift an associate nurse, a nurse that takes that patient over, fills in for the...
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...Nursing as we know it today, started in the mid-1800s with a single women(“Birth of the nursing profession”).This woman believed she had a calling from God to become a nurse("Cassandra"). Despite the harsh childhood she endured, she did not let that stop what she thought was her calling. The Crimean War defined Florence Nightingale as the mother of nursing(“Birth of the nursing profession”). During the Crimean War, she dramatically reduced the death rates in hospitals by getting rid of the filth and establishing order("Cassandra"). After becoming famous and making herself a career, she brought nursing to the job force ("Cassandra"). Florence Nightingale inspired others to become the caregiver of the sick and injured resulting in modern day...
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...home the centre of care aiming to reduce the strain on limited resources and give value for money. Within the community care district nurses are vital, there role is autonomous, unique and varied. Furthermore there expert theory, skills, and knowledge of self and practice adds to their advanced interpersonal communication skills to assess clients with increasing complex needs (Blazor et al 2008). Communication is the cornerstone of the nurse patient therapeutic relationship and is the essence of good care (Stein-Parbury, 2009). Within the community care setting, therapeutic relationships are a high priority of the health service to enhance the well-being of the growing ageing population and patients with complex palliative care needs (Bain and Baguley 2012). The Department of Health (2006) acknowledges that communication is paramount for human interaction, otherwise people cannot relate to others effectively, make their needs known and identify what is happening to them. A fundamental aspect for district nursing staff is to ensure the whole family unit is included in the communication process which is an essential part of the therapeutic relationship. The therapeutic relationship is grounded in an interpersonal process that occurs between the nurse and the client. It is a purpose, goal directed relationship that is directed at advancing the best interest and outcome of the...
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...Position: LPN 1. What made you want to become a Nurse? Well everyone who wants to be a nurse does it for the pay, but that’s just a plus. I did it so I had a stable job to support my family with my husband. I also love to help people. When I was younger and had 2 young kids, I was an aid at a nursing home. The nurses were awful. They took advantage of the patients and aids because they could. It disgusted me because nurses are supposed to love what they do, and they didn’t. I wanted to become a nurse so I could be better than they were. I want my patients to trust me and make them feel like they are in a safe environment. 2. What is the hardest part of being a nurse? Losing patients. Since I work in a nursing home, you take care of them every single day, and they become your second family. You do everything in your power to make them comfortable and make sure they aren’t in pain. When there’s nothing you can do anymore, you feel like you aren’t doing your job to its full extent. 3. What is your most memorable moment? I walked upstairs to the Chapel and found one of our Alzheimer’s patients completely naked, standing in the aisle. 4. Do you ever witness malpractice on the job? Of course. That is what make me strive to be the best nurse I can possibly be. We fired two RN’s about a week ago because they didn’t do the paperwork for a new patient. The patient didn’t get their medicine changed so they ended up in the hospital. We found out later that one had...
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...nursing has come a long way in the past century. In the 1880s nurses had a reputation as being “drunken, dishonest, and disreputable” (Hoyt, 2010); today, Americans rank nursing as the most ethical profession in the field of health care (Hoyt, 2010). Florence Nightingale was single-handedly responsible for changing not just the way nursing is conducted, but also changing public perception of the nursing profession. In the years since Nightingale established nursing as a serious and legitimate profession, many theories have been developed that continue to codify and define what nursing is and how nurses can best serve their patients. At the core of all these theories remains the most important concept Nightingale established: nurses must have a “single eye to the patient’s good” (Hoyt, 2010). The foundational paradigm of Nightingale’s approach to nursing was strict adherence to a code of ethics. Nightingale insisted that her students be “sober and truthful” (Hoyt, 2010) and that they treat patients in an ethical manner. Nightingale instructed her students to treat patients with honesty, and to give them truthful and accurate information about the nature of their conditions. Nightingale believed it was important to be honest with patients about their conditions, and to not give them false hope when their situation was in fact dire (Andrist et al, 2006). In this way, she believed, patients were able to make the best...
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... 1. Explain how the Patient Bill of Rights applies to this case. Nurse Nancy is violating the Patient Bill of Rights because Mrs. Jones did not make her own decision to end her life as a form of treatment. Mrs. Jones has the right to be involved in every aspect of treatment and can refuse treatment at any time. The patient is expecting reasonable continuity of care even though she might die. The patient’s doctor is supposed to inform Mrs. Jones if her condition is worsening and if she needs to seek different treatment options. Nurse Nancy did not ask the patient if she wanted to die, she just assumed because the patient is very ill that she may want to end her life. 2. Identify and explain at least three ethical considerations. Ethically it is a nurse’s job to help the doctor preserve a patient’s life. However, Nurse Nancy is the one that is with Mrs. Jones more and sees the drastic effect that the cancer has taken on her. Nurse Nancy has compassion for Mrs. Jones and knows that she is suffering from cancer, so to alleviate the pain she wants to help her end her life. Nurse Nancy needs to ask Mrs. Jones if she wants to die early because of her status as a single mom. In the event that Mrs. Jones does want Nurse Nancy to help her end her life she will need to make preparations for the care of child. Secondly, is it right for nurse Nancy to try and play GOD and end Mrs. Jones life? How does she know that she won’t get better...
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...Assisted Suicide 1. Explain how the Patient Bill of Rights applies to this case. Nurse Nancy is violating the Patient Bill of Rights because Mrs. Jones did not make her own decision to end her life as a form of treatment. Mrs. Jones has the right to be involved in every aspect of treatment and can refuse treatment at any time. The patient is expecting reasonable continuity of care even though she might die. The patient’s doctor is supposed to inform Mrs. Jones if her condition is worsening and if she needs to seek different treatment options. Nurse Nancy did not ask the patient if she wanted to die, she just assumed because the patient is very ill that she may want to end her life. 2. Identify and explain at least three ethical considerations. Ethically it is a nurse’s job to help the doctor preserve a patient’s life. However, Nurse Nancy is the one that is with Mrs. Jones more and sees the drastic effect that the cancer has taken on her. Nurse Nancy has compassion for Mrs. Jones and knows that she is suffering from cancer, so to alleviate the pain she wants to help her end her life. Nurse Nancy needs to ask Mrs. Jones if she wants to die early because of her status as a single mom. In the event that Mrs. Jones does want Nurse Nancy to help her end her life she will need to make preparations for the care of child. Secondly, is it right for nurse Nancy to try and play God and end Mrs. Jones life? How does she know that she won’t get better? There may be new treatment...
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...Learning Strategies Learning Strategies This paper will discuss the “VARK, a guide to learning styles” (VARK, 2015). One subject who took the “VARK Questionnaire, How Do I Learn Best?” learned the results were Aural and Kinesthetic “AK”, a multimodal learning style preference. The subject’s preferred learning strategies were compared and found to be compatible with the VARK learning style strategies. Using VARK as a tool can give an instructor awareness of the individual’s learning style. This aids the instructor in developing strategies that will accommodate and influence the individual’s learning style. The subject that took the sixteen part VARK questionnaire chose to answer some categories with one selection and others with two or more selections. The questionnaire concluded the subject’s scores were Visual “V”-3, Aural/Auditory “A”-11, Read/Write “R”-5 and Kinesthetic “K”-9 resulting in a multimodal “AK” learning preference. This individual’s learning style mixes “A” and “K” modalities where they have the ability to switch between them, allowing the individual to adapt to the learning strategy. VARK defines four sensory modalities that are used for learning (VARK, 2015). The “V” modality uses graphics such as maps, charts, diagrams and symbols instead of words to represent the information they are trying to learn. “A” modality prefers information that can be heard or spoken. This represents a traditional classroom type providing lectures, open group discussions, webinars...
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...because they have been expressing “Burn Out” (frustration, dissatisfaction, or lack of interest in a job) as a result of the increase in the number of patients coming to the center who were diagnosed with terminal cancer. Nancy Nurse confided in you that she is particularly saddened about the rapid decline in Mrs. Jones’ health, a 30 year old single mother. She decided that the next time Mrs. Jones comes in for her treatment she is going to give her an extra dose of a narcotic that could potentially end her life. Explain how the Patient Bill of Rights applies to this situation. With regards to this situation, the Patient’s Bill of Rights were formed to provide a base for understanding and respecting the rights and responsibilities of patients, their families, doctors and other caregivers. It was also put into place for them to respect the role of patients in decision making about treatment choices and other care and to note that another person chosen by the patient can exercise these rights on the patients’ behalf (Maryland Health Care Commission, 2010). Mrs. Jones did not choose to get terminal cancer, however; she has also not chosen whether to be given an extra dose of a narcotic that could potentially end her life. Although she is a single mother, her family should be contacted and consulted as well as other caregivers for their opinions. It is with these options, and opinions that the option of basically killing her with this narcotic dosage...
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...because we make our own from the choices we make. Life is a series of choices; we could always choose the best. Mistaken choices were normally made by people when they choose between what they “want” and what they “need”. “Wants” are those things or choices that make people happy, but usually it is only temporary and could possibly cause harm or a negative outcome in the end. “Needs” are the necessities to live a healthy and peaceful life. Education is just an example of a need. As we all experienced the student life, we tend to miss our lives by neglecting education for sometime in exchange for doing something we just want. Some regret their neglect their chance to educate themselves for their own future when they realize it that they almost lost their life by pursuing what they want and not able to see what they need. Time is very much important; make the most out of it. The time we wasted is not “wasted time” because most of the time, we learned the most out of it, the experiences in it. In life, as long as there is time, it is never too late. Time would not stop for us. It is our call to do something good or just let the clock tick and let time pass by. Life is bound by series choices in a time frame. But you will never ever know when will your own time is over. Choose the best in life, have the wisdom to choose between your wants and needs, and treasure every single time you have. Life, Choices, and Time are gifts from above. Make the most out of it. Philosophy in the...
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...In order to develop effective learning objectives the nurse needs to fully assess the learning abilities of all those expected to participate in the specific learning activity. This might include a wide and varied group of people, it might be a spouse, a child a caregiver a therapist etc. It needs to include anybody that is an active participant in the patients life and anybody included in the patients health care plan. Once the nurse has determined the participant it is time to start creating the plan. “The nurse needs to ask themselves What do I want the participants to accomplish/learn. How will the participants demonstrate that the desired information has been learned? What verb will be used in the objective to indicate what the participant will do to demonstrate information learned” (Guidelines for Writing Learning Objectives) The educational plan is very similar to a nursing care plan, it must be specific, quantitative and measurable.“The learning objectives identify detailed processes that will take place in order for the client to achieve success and leave little to no room for speculation” (NRS-429V lecture, 2015). When writing objectives it is crucial to remember the “A,B,C,Ds” Audience = Who is the learner, this is where you design your objectives for patient family caregivers etc Behavior = The quantitative, measurable action verb describing the new capability to be achieved. Condition = Under which said activities will be performed/observed. Degree...
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...earn her doctorial degree in educational psychology and counseling in 1973. She wrote her first book in 2008 The Philosophy and Science of Caring which addresses how nurses should express care to their patients. Watson believed that caring is the single most important aspect in the practice of nursing. (Alligood, 2010) The simple act of caring in combination with medical intervention is the combination to good nurse practice according to the Watson Theory. She like many others believed that the holistic approach to nursing is the best way to show and provide caring to a patient. For Watson caring is not something that is passed from generation to generation or person to person, but it originated with the nurse and then passed to the patient and on to the society. However it starts with the compassion and the caring of the nurse. The nursing profession is therefore the founders and the instigators of caring and the patient that the nurse come in contact with learn true caring and pass it on to the society. According to the theory, caring environments accepts a person regardless of life style and embrace the person for their potential and not their current situation. (Watson, 2011) Caring can be demonstrated and practiced by the nurse and it promotes growth and healing in the patient. Jean Watson a registered nurse and Doctor of Philosophy introduced the concept of “caring science” as a theoretical discipline. Her theory of human caring not only has scientific emotional dimension...
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...As we all know, Francis Bacon, an important figure of the English Renaissance, is a well-known as a writer, and philosopher. Of Marriage and Single Life analyzes and compares marriage with single life in different aspects, such as characters, public service and personal qualities. The essay depicts the benefits and the drawbacks of life as a single male and a married male possibly with children. Bacon explains that marriage is good for the individual but also for society. He also states that wife and children are a liability and only take back from obtaining wealth. A single man believes that a man with wife and children, who are obstacles to both great courses and little trivial, is the slave of fortune. Bacon presents the merits and demerits of married life and single life in his essay, “Of Marriage and Single Life” According to the essay children are the bills of charges and will reduce their riches. And beyond that being single means that you are free, but having a wife and children are reasons you a man is shackled. However, a single life has some good aspects. “Unmarried men are best friends, best masters, and best servants. In this portion of the essay, Bacon boasts about the fact that a free man gives back to society in a sense. He states that when you don’t have children and a wife to look after you have more time to give back to your community. This is simple logic that expresses what kind of write Bacon was. He states that without the distraction of both wife...
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