Hospitalized Patients

Recognizing, acknowledging, and understanding medication safety is important when administering medications. Understanding which medications are high-risk ones, being familiar with the medications being given, remembering the five most important rights when administering medications, communicating clearly, developing checking habits, and reporting the medication errors will lead to safe outcomes for the residents. However, errors do occur from a lack of experience, rushing, distractions, fatigue, doing too many things at once, not double checking, poor communication, and lack of team work. It is not only the staff that commit errors, but also the work environment that contributes to the medication error. Two examples are poor reporting systems

Patient safety experts have demonstrated that “patient safety increases when teamwork and collaboration skills are taught and empowered; when teamwork and collaboration are not present, medical errors will result” (Creasia & Friberg, 201, p. 348). As a nurse, it is imperative to collaborate with other interdisciplinary members in health care and also strive to research and implement evidence-based practices. Evidence-based practice is necessary to “ensure the highest quality of cost-effective care and the best patient outcomes” (Fineout-Overholt, 2011, para. 16). With a collaborative and innovative attitude on safe health care practices, an increase in patient safety and effectiveness of care will

Nurses are critical for promoting health in the society. The profession is highly flexible, since they specialize in diverse operations in the medical field. Registered nurses, for instance, are responsible for the administration of medicine and inoculations to patients (American Nurses ' Association, 2000). Additionally, these professionals observe, record, and enlighten doctors of any changes in a patient’s health. Nurses interpret and evaluate diagnostic examinations to determine an individual’s condition, as well as making the necessary adjustments in patient treatment plans on their health progress. In collaboration with other medical personnel, nurses engage in the development and enactment of patient care plans. Furthermore, they provide education to families and groups on various health issues such as disease prevention, among others.

Vena cava filters are small mechanical devices that are positioned in the vena cava with the sole purpose of preventing large blood clots from travelling from the legs to the pulmonary arteries. Clots reaching the arteries of the lungs may cause pulmonary embolism, which is a life-threatening condition. Aneurysms of the aorta as well as dissections may be treated with the use of endoluminal stent grafts. This requires the placement of a reinforcing tube within the affected parts of the

During my clinical day three, I demonstrated entry-level competence in professional nursing practice in caring for patients with multiple and/or complex unmet human needs. I addressed safety needs, safety in medication administration, effective communication, and surveillance for my patients. First, I addressed safety needs my ensuring the appropriate safety measures were implemented for the patients. Some of the safety measures included, wearing non-skid socks, wearing a yellow armband which indicated fall risk, keeping the bed in lowest position, two side rails up, bed locked, and the call light within reach.

Moreover, several studies have been conducted to examine the effects of low nurse staffing on patients hospitalization experiences, as well as its effect on nurse careers in the long run. A recent study by Frith, Anderson, Tseng, and Fong (2012) to explore the relationship between nurse staffing and medication errors, demonstrated that medication errors were higher in a cardiac care unit and non-cardiac care unit when staffing levels were lower. In addition, Frith et al. (2012) pointed out that medication errors increase by 18% for every 20% decrease in nurse staffing below the average due to failure to follow medication administration protocol As mentioned earlier, nurses perform the last and the most important step of medication administration. Thus, having adequate time to assess each patient efficiently and following the medication rights is critical to provide safe patient care and prevent errors.

On June 30, 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) presented their final ruling on non-payment policies for provider preventable conditions (PPCs). One of the other provider preventable conditions includes the development of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis in any health care setting (Federal Register, 2011, p. 32817). Due to the significant cost of providing care for preventable conditions that are now not reimbursed through the CMS and many health insurance companies, hospitals around the country have implemented new policies to ensure patients remain free of venous blood clots during their hospital stay. The practice of injecting either Lovenox or heparin

A stroke, is the “rapidly developing signs of focal (or global) disturbance of cerebral function with symptoms lasting 24 hours or longer” (World Health Organisation,1998). In the event of a stroke blood supply to the brain is occluded by a thrombus or an embolus from the heart (Fitzpatrick and Birns,2004). A treatment option for those who have suffered an ischaemic stroke is thrombolysis. As 85% of strokes are ischaemic this is a treatment option for many (Fitzpatrick and Birns,2004).The goal of thrombolysis is to disintegrate the thrombus/embolus occluding the vessel and reduce the scale of tissue damage (Fitzpatrick and Birns,2004).It is important to note that thrombolysis using ateplase should only be used to treat acute ischaemic stroke once intracranial bleeding has been ruled out by diagnostic imaging, and within 4.5hours of onset by

To create an environment where these errors are a rare occurrence, all healthcare professionals must dedicate themselves to implementing QSEN's six core competencies each and every day. These professionals must also speak up when they see room for improvement in their workplace. Regardless of the healthcare setting or demographic of patients, safe outcomes are the purpose of providing patient-centered care. Since nurses are the largest subgroup of healthcare professionals, their ability to make strides towards improved medication administration is undeniable. As the nursing code of ethics states, nurses have the duty to protect the health and safety of those in their care (Winland-Brown, Lachman, O'Connor Swanson, 2015). By taking extra caution to administer medications correctly, this honorable obligation will always be within

Quality improvement efforts and risk management are complementary, and together are key modules of clinical governance. Risk management reinforces quality management in healthcare. This leads to:

The baccalaureate prepared nurse role is crucial in ensuring the successful implementation of quality management in healthcare. The major role of healthcare professionals such as nurses, doctors, and physicians is the delivery of high-quality patient care and safety. However, studies show that some factors that contribute to the low-quality patient care and safety include medical errors, adverse drug events, and negligence of health care providers. The baccalaureate prepared nurse has the responsibility of improving patient outcomes by taking part in quality management processes in the healthcare.

It is unfortunate that the consequence of Julie Thao’s decision to work overtime to help the hospital actually did the opposite by affecting her health and caused a fatal medical error. I completely agree with your 3 weapons against healthcare harm: leadership, safe practice, and technology. As Advanced Practice Nurses, I strongly believe we must to be accountable, responsible, and approachable in order to be an effective healthcare role model and leader. Our priority should always be patient safety as we assess, diagnose, and implement interventions. APNs should conduct continuous research for self-knowledge, to educate staff members, and to educate the patients. Like you had mentioned, patient education is important so they are aware

Imagine for a moment, a surgeon in the O.R. performing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Their objective is to restore normal blood flow to the heart by grafting a vein or artery from the patient’s chest, leg or arm and bypass the blocked artery to the heart. Sounds simple enough. Oh, one more thing, the grafted artery is 2.8 mm in diameter, and there is certainly no shortage of blood and other bodily fluids obstructing the physicians view. In this situation, a surgeon’s ability to stay laser focused and not take their eyes of the patient is critical. Unfortunately, not only is a surgeon tasked with the successful graft of the patient’s artery, he or she, must simultaneously monitor the patient’s vitals to make sure the patient doesn’t

The circulating nurse also initiated the time-out. During the time-out, the circulating nurse said the patient’s name, the surgery that the patient was getting, and the limb in which the surgery was being performed on. The other health care professionals agreed that it was the right patient, right site, and right procedure. Throughout the surgery the circulating nurse continued to ensure the safety of the patient by watching the surgical staff and making sure that the sterile field was not contaminated. This nurse’s role also included gathering materials for the surgeon, throwing away trash, and keeping the environment comfortable for the staff. Towards the end of the procedure the nurse counted all sponges and needles with the scrub to make sure that no equipment was left within the patient. The nurse also continued to document information such as the length of the surgery and the amount of blood lost throughout the procedure. Lastly, the circulating nurse cleaned the room and then transferred the patient into a hospital bed to be transferred to the post-anesthesia care unit. Ignatavicius and workman (2013) addressed that these are all responsibilities of the circulating nurse (p.

Haemostasis is a physiological process of blood clotting and dissolution of the clot, followed by the repair of injured tissue. It results from interplay of vascular endothelium, platelets, coagulation factors, anti-coagulation mechanisms and fibrinolytic system. The fluidity of blood in the absence of injury is maintained by the balance between pro-coagulant pathway, and the mechanisms that inhibit the pro-coagulant pathway. Imbalance between the two mechanisms, for example during clinical illnesses or preoperative period, predisposes a patient to either bleeding or thrombosis. To stop bleeding after injury, a complex process is initiated within seconds. After vasoconstriction, which reduces blood flow, begins the first phase of haemostasis –primary haemostasis. The primary haemostasis leads to the formation of initial platelet plug. Activated platelets adhere