Providing care for hospitalized patients can be both stressful and demanding. Nurses often find themselves overwhelmed with the number of tasks they are expected to complete. Due to the large amount of patient care tasks, many nurses forget to implement orders or educate patients on important prophylactic treatments. All hospitalized patients are at an increased risk of developing a venous thromboembolism, no matter the reason for their hospitalization (The American Heart Association, 2017). Venous thromboembolisms pose great risks and are a substantial source of morbidity and mortality to hospitalized patients. Although most venous thromboembolisms are considered preventable, the use of prophylactic treatment is underused in hospitals (National …show more content…
If the clot is in a deep vein, which is usually a lower extremity, they are referred to as deep vein thrombi. If the clot breaks away and travels to the lung, they are referred as a pulmonary embolism. Deep vein thrombi, and pulmonary embolisms are categorized as venous thromboembolisms (International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 2017). Although all hospitalized patients are at an increased risk of venous thromboembolism development, patients whom pose the highest risk include: patients who have cancer, had major surgery, experienced trauma, and/or are significantly immobile (The American Heart Association, 2017). Due to the nature of thromboembolism development, the risks of development have been present whenever an individual is injured or experienced decrease mobility.
Today both nurses and physicians are educated on the significant risks of venous thromboembolisms and the extreme importance of their prevention. A large role of a registered nurse is to be a patient advocate. Nurses can play a vital role in venous thromboembolism prevention by adhering to written orders, policies and procedures, and asking a physician for a medicinal or physical prophylactic order if one is missing. It is the responsibility of the nurse to recognize the risk of venous thromboembolism development, educate patients on the importance of preventative measures, and obtain proper
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Venous Thromboembolism prevention was the topic of the January 2013 issue of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Public Health Grand Round. The information was later reviewed in a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has worked extremely hard in supporting research and prevention of venous thromboembolisms on a national level. Currently the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has three national goals regarding healthcare acquired venous thromboembolisms. These goals include: To strengthen the monitoring of venous thromboembolisms by healthcare providers, to identify best practice implementations, and educate others on evidence based best practice regarding venous thromboembolism prevention (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Objective One 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.
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
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.
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
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
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
Deep Venous Thrombosis Prophylaxis; Lovenox vs Heparin 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
Medication Errors in Healthcare The nursing profession entails many responsibilities that range from providing emotional support to administering medications that could result in death for those receiving care. Approximately 40% of a nurse's day consists of passing medication, a duty that sets their level of liability above many other healthcare professions (McCuistion, Vuljoin-DiMaggio, Winton, Yeager, & Kee, 2018). Despite today's advances in technology and nursing education, the frequency of medication errors is still staggering. To ensure that the benefits of nursing outweigh the risks, nurses look to the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) six core competencies for guidance.
This is important evidence because it gives us conditions and results of what can happen if patients get lower quality care. Patients’ are not having enough time getting checked up by a nurse, and nurses would miss some diagnostics. Patients are getting sick because of the poor care they are receiving from nurses. The care patients can get is affected by a nurse shortage, “Nursing workload definitely affects the time that a nurse can allot to various tasks. Under a heavy workload, nurses may not have sufficient time to perform tasks that can have a direct effect on patient safety.
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.
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
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.
Another frequent procedure done by a phlebotomist is the capillary puncture. According to DeLaet (2014), “capillary puncture is performed when no veins are accessible”(p. 131). Other responsibilities and duties of a phlebotomist include maintaining a clean and safe working environment, keeping records using a computer, and labeling blood samples correctly. According to Delaet (2014), “Phlebotomist duties
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
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.