...------------------------------------------------- Applications of Epidemiology – A Case Study Shaneil White July 19, 2015 hSA505 Dr. Chad Moretz July 19, 2015 hSA505 Dr. Chad Moretz Analyze Good Health Hospital’s records and itemize recent nosocomial infections that occurred within the past year. In your report, categorize the different parameters (i.e., person, time, place, ethnicity, and gender) used in the compilation of data into the nformation summative. Currently at the Good Health Hospital, there’s a nosocomial outbreak of E. coli on Ward 10 on the second floor. Four cases have been identified so far linked to spoil food from the cafeteria, with two more cases pending. After meeting with chief administrator Joe Wellborn, one patient could possibly been symptomatic with the bacteria prior to admission. Parameters discussion below: * Person: 4 identified cases. (1. Male, age 23), (2. Female, age 21), (Male, age 15), and (Female, age 42). * Place: Good Health Hospital, Ward 10, second floor; Good Health Hospital cafeteria. Also research has indicated that other area hospitals around Tampa Bay has been contaminated with E. coli as well. * Time: Within the past week. Propose at least six (6) questions for the health care administrator at Good Health Hospital, regarding potential litigation issues with infections from the nosocomial diseases. Rationalize, in your report, the logic behind your six (6) questions. Traditionally, nosocomial infections have generally...
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...spread of infection. Healthcare workers have a guidelines on how to prevent and control the spread of infection when providing care for all hospitalised individuals in healthcare. Workplaces are obliged under the Occupational health and safety Act (2004) to provide a safe work place by training the staff the infection control procedures, instructing them to use the right equipment or techniques to prevent infections from spreading over. Every health worker plays a big role to minimise the transmission of infection by following the workplace infection control procedures. Standard precaution, additional precaution, sharp safety, exposure policy, staff vaccination, single use policy and waste management policy are a principle that break the chain of infection. This essay outlines the concept of occupational health and the control measure implemented to prevent such infection. Berman et all. (2012) states that Standard precaution is work practice required technique to be used by healthcare workers to minimise the spread of micro-organism. Standard precaution includes good hand hygiene, the use of personal protective equipment(PPE), appropriate handling and disposal of sharps and other contaminate waste, and use of aseptic techniques. Berman et all. (2012) describes that hygiene is widely recognised to be the single most effective activity for minimising the transmission of infections.An inappropriate techniques when washing hands can lead the areas of the hands to still be contaminated...
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...Running Head: Hand Washing Policy and Procedure Hand Washing and Hand Hygiene Jennifer Peltz Clinical-Policy and Procedure Marie Michaels March 9, 2010 The main medical purpose of washing hands is to cleanse the hands of pathogens, including bacteria and/or viruses, and also chemicals which can cause personal harm or disease. This is especially important for people who handle food or work in the medical field, but it is also an important practice for the general public. People can become infected with respiratory illnesses such as influenza or the common cold, for example, if they don't wash their hands before touching their eyes, nose or mouth. Hand washing is the single most important method of preventing the spread of infections and disease. Medical hand washing is for a minimum of 15 seconds using generous amounts of soap and water or gel to lather and rub each part of the hands. Hands should be rubbed together with digits interlocking. If there is debris under fingernails, a bristle brush may be used to remove it. Since germs may remain in the water on the hands it is important to rinse well and wipe dry with a clean towel. After drying, the paper towel should be used to turn off the water, and open any exit door if necessary. This avoids re-contaminating the hands from those surfaces. The policy and procedure book at the VA Hospital is located at the nurses station. It is easy to find and accessible for...
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...Practice (EBP), and how it ensures quality healthcare and positive patient outcomes. We will take a look at a simple procedure such as hand washing and show why it is an EBP protocol. Why Is Hand Washing So Important? Everyone in the world is responsible for good hand hygiene. As healthcare providers, it is important to teach our patience the importance of good hand hygiene to prevent spread of infection and or disease. By doing this, you are involving patients in their care and helping the greater cause of disease prevention. All healthcare facilities include hand hygiene protocols. Where I work, the hospital policy is that we wash our hands upon entering a patient’s room, put on gloves, remove gloves, wash hands upon leaving that patient’s room, then wash hand again upon entering the next patient’s room…and continue that routine with each patient. We were allowed to us hand sanitizer up to three times, in place of washing with soap and water, providing the patient is not on contact or any other special precautions. For the most part, most of do this, but I did not see everyone following this protocol, especially doctors. Most of the staff only use the sanitizer all of the time. The only time hand washing protocol seems to be followed fully is when I witness sterile procedures. This is a problem and causes increased occurrence of healthcare associated infections (HAIs), but it is difficult to ensure healthcare staff practice proper hand hygiene. From my previous work experiences...
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...Other samples can be taken from wounds, catheter specimens of urine and sputum samples(RM). These screenings are carried out if the patient has a high temperature or had any sign of infection such as inflammation and redness. Patients with MRSA should be isolated in a single ensuite room with hand-washing facilities. Personal protective equipment such as gloves and apron must be available and used. Healthcare facilities are responsible for informing the receiving unit if a patient is MRSA positive before transferring them. All equipment used on the patient with MRSA should be thoroughly cleaned with sanitising wipes. If all staff complies with the good practice of wearing the correct personal protection equipment and have good hand hygiene it should reduce the risk of...
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...account, often on the left, is denoted by ‘Dr’ while the credit account, often on the right side, is denoted by ‘Cr’. The entries are made depending on the account type, which may be an asset, a liability, an expense account etcetera, or depending on whether the transaction increases the account or decreases it (Lee, 1977). For instance, any transaction noted on the debit side would add to the assets account. Alternatively, a transaction would be entered on the debit side if it lowers the liabilities or the equity. On the other hand, all transactions that lower the assets account would be posted on the credit side. Any transaction that adds to the liabilities or the equity would similarly be entered on the credit side of the General Journal. Debits and credits have effects on particular accounts. A debit entry can increase either an asset account or an expense account, or decrease equity account or a liability account. A credit entry, on the other hand, either increases the liability account or the equity account, or conversely decreases the asset account or the expense account. Therefore, when assets rise, they are recorded in the debit account. However, when they decrease, they are recorded in the credit account. Similarly, when liabilities go up, they are recorded in the credit account and vice versa. When income or revenue increases, it is credited, but when it decreases, it is entered as a debit. An increase in expense is shown on the debit side, while a decrease is shown...
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...1. Three examples of healthcare policies in New Jersey that fall under state regulation: 1. Standards for Licensure of Adult and Pediatric Day Health Services N.J.A.C. 8:43F 2. Adult and Pediatric Day Health Services N.J.A.C. 8:86 3. New Jersey Patient Safety Act Three examples of healthcare policies that fall under the regulation of the federal government: 1. HIPAA- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 2. Administration for Children and Families (ACF) 3. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 2. As consumers, we obtain most of our healthcare needs from the market rather than through our government. In certain situations, lack of resources can make it difficult to purchase goods and health services directly from the seller, therefore the government puts specific programs in place. For example, Medicare, a universal program for those with financial struggles and who are 65 years or older, is put in place to treat people who have been diagnosed with a serious illness regardless of their ability to pay. Another healthcare service that is offered to the underprivileged population is Medicaid. “Because of its selective nature towards a particular subset of people, this type of program is offered on a need base for care only and is often less expensive” (Nickitas, D. M., et al., 2011, p. 11). Therefore, the offered benefits of Medicaid are more wide ranged than a universal program such as Medicare. Both of these services...
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...will tend to communicate more if they have big families where they can interact with brother’s or sisters whereas children with small families may tend to be less socially interactive and more reclusive. When communicating with people with different abilities and needs we need to communicate on a even level and value their decisions as it is easy to become judgemental. I will discuss attitudes to care with regards to equality and diversity. We live in a society of mulit-cultural and diverse communities and must respect the religious, spiritual beliefs and we must not discriminate against age or race. I am also going to discuss respect and diginity in pre-hopsital and emergency care. We must treat every patient with dignity and respect as healthcare professionals, regardless of race or sex, age or disability. The values and opinions should be taken into account. Communication is derived from the latin word “Communis” meaning to share. The earliest forms of communication were simple cave paintings, petro-glyphs and pictograms followed by the earliest known forms of writing. There are many way’s in which to communicate, society has different ways of interpreting communication whether it be through a countries own language, different slangs and accents. My interpretation of communication is transmitting your views, opinions, information, ideas or feelings from one person to another. Whether that be through verbal communication such, as words, Electronic mail or speeches....
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...As an employee, individuals aren’t just employed by a healthcare organization; they are protected by the organizations that facilitate the rules and regulations. 99% of all businesses are regulated by one or more organizations in a multitude of areas. Such organizations related to the healthcare field, but not limited to, are OSHA, CDC and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. “Common sense and compassion has been replaced by litigation”. Is this a supportive statement in the healthcare industry? This is a common practice in businesses worldwide, but more so in healthcare. Most employees now are afraid of the potential lawsuit based on their actions, if even performed for all the right reasons. Common sense and compassion are characteristics individuals learn as they grow and develop. It is all related to personal experience and knowing right from wrong, utilizing good judgment to accomplish the task at hand. However in today’s society, rules and regulations are set and enforced to control any and all situations. Liability has become the front-runner of all actions. Additionally, these rules and regulations often cause hindrance to the medical staff and community. (Younis, Barhem, & Hamidi, 2009). The human resource manager must be aware of any and all legal, safety, and regularity requirements when hiring and maintaining employees for the healthcare facility. Each employee must be kept abreast of these requirements in order to protect the facility...
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...The key role of effective and quality service in the healthcare system is to build therapeutic communication among patients. The vital element of therapeutic communication is having an attitude of respect for the patient as healthcare professional’s need to use their knowledge and interpersonal skills while communicating as this is an essential aspect of helping the patient who is experiencing health problems or distress, as well as facilitating the development of a positive nurse-client relationship. Childs,Jenkinson,Williamson. (2008) point out that. “Benner developed a linear theory to explain how nurses develop practical skills and move from being novice practitioners to becoming expert practitioner” (p.153). I have selected the “Hand over” scenario as it really inspired me as a student nurse; I am highly motivated to develop the vital skills needed in the years to come as there will be allot of opportunities as hand over is a vital part of a healthcare professional. In the scenario, before the paramedic hands over to the nurse he lets Sally know that he will be ensuring the nurse about her situation, the paramedic then informs the nurse about Sally, who is 35 years old and 28 weeks pregnant who lost consciousness while having breakfast with her husband. The paramedic also informs the nurse how Sally is primarily suspected of have a stroke as she has a history of high potential and some history of stoke in the family. After the paramedic’s examination before arriving to...
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...Can healthcare be considered a basic human right? Over the past century, the term "health" has been redefined over and over to come to a more exact and appropriate meaning so that consensus can be reached. The World Health Organization came up with its first definition of health, as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."(p. 26) However, many people criticized and questioned the words "complete", "mental", "social", "disease", "infirmity" and their meanings. Daniel Callahan eventually proposed a short yet solid statement on the definition of health, as "a state of physical well-being."(p.66). Why has so much effort been made to determine a proper definition of health? Because it is important to us. Health is an essential aspect of our lives and its significance cannot be minimized. Therefore, it is natural for humans to pursue good health. But consequentially, does that give humans the right to healthcare? According to the WHO Constitution, "the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being…" In order to attain that standard however, healthcare services are required. Services such as treatment, diagnosis, and prevention provided by medical practitioners play a vital role in people's well-being. One might say that it is their responsibility but on what grounds? In this paper, I argue that healthcare is not a basic human right because for one...
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...Infections in Relation to Poor Hand Hygiene Hospital acquired infections is an all too real and current issue. It is also highly preventable through the simple action of hand hygiene. Hand hygiene is a vital part of the hospital system to ensure the continuum of health. The number of professional health care staff who is not abiding by the governing policies on hand hygiene is alarming. It is an issue that is particularly relevant to nurses as they are in constant contact with patients, more so than any other health care professional. This paper shall address the topic of hospital acquired infections in relation to the lack of hand washing and poor hand hygiene. It shall hence be explored the reason behind the issues existence. Background Modern infection control is grounded in the work of Ignaz Semelweis who, in the late 1840’s demonstrated the importance of hand hygiene for controlling transmission of infection (Pittet, Allegrazi, & Boyce, 2009) and reduced mortality rate related to hospital acquired infections (Mortell, 2012). Hand hygiene has become an integral part of our culture. Hand washing is taught at every level of school, advocated in the workplace, and emphasized during nursing, medical, and paramedic training programs. The primary objective of hand hygiene recommendations has always been to reduce pathogen transmission and hospital acquired infections which, in turn, should reduce patient morbidity and mortality (Mortell, 2012). Hand Hygiene has been recognized...
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...of therapeutic communication is having an attitude of respect for the patient as health care professional’s need to use their knowledge and interpersonal skills while communicating, as this is an essential aspect of helping the patient who is experiencing health problems or distress, as well as facilitating the development of a positive nurse-client relationship. Childs, Jenkinson, Williamson. (2008) Point out that. “Benner developed a linear theory to explain how nurses develop practical skills and move from being novice practitioners to becoming expert practitioner” (p.153). I have selected the “Hand over” scenario as it really inspired me as a student nurse; I am highly driven to develop the vital skills needed in the years to come as there will be allot of opportunities as the hand over is a vital part of a healthcare professional. In the scenario, before the paramedic hands over to the nurse he lets Sally know that he will be ensuring the nurse about her situation. The paramedic then goes on to inform the nurse about Sally, who is a 35-year-old female and 28 weeks pregnant and she had lost consciousness while having breakfast with her husband. The paramedic also informs the nurse how Sally is primarily suspected of having a stroke as she has a history of high potential and some history of stoke in the family. After the paramedic’s examination before arriving to the hospital Sally is found to have a high blood pressure, he also informs the nurse that Sally is not on any...
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...million consumers on a daily basis. With the new rules and regulations of Obama Care; consumers are constantly trying to find the best price for medical coverage. When dealing with healthcare products and services consumers want the best insurance based on price, market options, and the consequences of being uninsured. Based on what I understood from reading Chapter 6 on elastic and inelastic demand, I would have to contend that Amerigroup’s products are both elastic and inelastic. Elastic healthcare means that the healthcare demand prices for the plans that Amerigroup offers are greater than 1; resulting in a quantity demanded change greater than the percentage change in price. For example, during the fourth quarter of 2014 the company reported that medical enrollment totaled approximately 37.5 million members (5.2% growth in 2014) (Anthem, 2015). Unfortunately, the company saw a decline in the medical enrollment of individual and local group portion at 32,000 and Medicare business of 37,000 (Anthem, 2015). What that means is that as the company increased memberships because of the demand for healthcare before the Obama Care second deadline; but unfortunately, saw a decline in Medicare memberships due to an increase in Medicaid enrollments. On the other hand, the inelastic demand side of healthcare products and services in which Amerigroup sales relates to the elasticity coefficient for price that is less than 1; resulting in a percentage change in quantity demanded less than...
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...physician- patient relationship are a few components that affect the outcome of a lawsuit. The amount of legal torts that were violated in this case was enough to cause disputes between patients and healthcare staff. Negligence is a familiar tort that occurs much more than it needs too. Unfortunately in this case, vicarious liability and patient-physician relationship are two considerations that influence this case as well. According to (Dictionary.com), negligence is defined as “the failures to exercise that degree of care that, in the circumstances, the law requires for the protection of other persons or those interests of other persons that may be injuriously affected by the want of such care” (2012). The proximate cause which led to negligence, was Identified when a nurse gave an incorrect medication to a patient who later died. Whether or not the patient died from this malpractice, the hospital was still liable for this tort. In addition, failing to administer proper care to patients directly impacts the patient-physician relationship, which by law can be a breach of contract. Physicians have an implied service agreement that is exercised as soon as they accept to render patients their services. This relationship can also be considered a breach of contract if a healthcare facility fails to give adequate services. The patient-physician relationship appeared to be tarnished in this case due to poor service that was given to the patients. Even though the hospital...
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