Analytic Cover Essay On Vulnerable Populations

1111 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Bar Code Medication Administration

Analytic Cover Essay - Kinney For my research paper, I will be discussing the impact of medication errors on vulnerable populations, specifically the elderly. Technology offers ways to reduce medication errors using electronic bar-coding medication administration (BCMA) systems. However, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) are not using these systems. Medication is still administered with a paper or electronic medication administration record (eMAR), without barcode scanning. In contrast, every hospital I have been in: as a patient, nursing student, and nurse uses BCMA systems. The healthcare system is neglecting the elderly. Nursing homes should use BCMAs to reduce the incidents of medication errors. This topic directly correlates with civic engagement and intercultural knowledge. The avoidance from administration to use BCMA systems within SNFs is negligent at best and elder abuse at worst. I have a duty to care for those in my community, even if they are living in a nursing home. I also have an opportunity to understand a different culture to determine if there are any ways in which I can benefit them or it can benefit me. Unfortunately, SNFs are very different living environments than an American family home. …show more content…

This article points to medication error as a multi-disciplinary concern, from writing the orders, to dispensing the medication, to administering the medication; physicians, pharmacists, and nurses are all involved. The BCMA also allows for enhanced security as all medications pulled from the medication cart are routinely

Show More
Related

  • Emory Healthcare's New System to Reduce Errors

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the 1980’s and 90’s there were many studies done that showed that medical errors were occurring in inpatient and outpatient settings at a very high rate. Computer Provider Order Entry (CPOE) systems were designed to reduce or eliminate mistakes made by using hand written orders. The CPOE system allows users to directly enter their orders into the system on computers which are then sent directly to the healthcare providers that will be implementing the orders. Previously orders were placed by writing on order sheets on patient charts. This was sometimes done by the doctor or by a nurse acting on behalf of the doctor. Order sheets were then signed by the doctor and then the information was input into the patient’s record. This left room for error due to misreading bad handwriting, confusing medications with similar names, etc.

    Read More

  • QSEN Competencies In Mental Health Nursing Essay

    1333 Words  | 3 Pages

    4). Examples of how nurses can integrate this competency include; using current practice guidelines and researching into hospital’s policies (Jurado, 2015). According to Sherwood & Zomorodi (2014) nurses should use current evidence based standards when providing care to patients. Nurse B violated one of the rights of medication administration. South Florida State Hospital does not use ID wristbands; instead they use a picture of the patient in the medication cup. Nurse B did not ask the patient to confirm his name in order to verify this information with the picture in the computer. By omitting this step in the process of medication administration, nurse B put the patient at risk of a medication error, which could have caused a negative patient

    Read More

  • Medication Errors in Children

    543 Words  | 2 Pages

    Medication errors in children alone are alarming, but throw an ambulatory care setting into the mix and it spells disaster. When it comes to children and medication in the ambulatory care setting, the dosage range is drastically out of range compared to those that are treated in the hospital setting (Hoyle, J., Davis, A., Putman, K., Trytko, J., Fales, W. , 2011). Children are at a greater risk for dosage errors because each medication has to be calculated individually, and this can lead to more human error. The errors that are occurring are due to lack of training, dosage calculation errors, and lack of safety systems. Medication errors in children who are receiving ambulatory care can avoided by ensuring correct dosage calculation, more in-depth training of personal and safety systems in place.

    Read More

  • Electronic Health Records Pros And Cons Essay

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    Historically, physicians and nurses documented patients’ health information using paper and pencil. This documentation created numerous errors in patients’ medical records. Patient information became lost or destroyed, medication errors occur daily because of illegible handwriting, and patients had to wait long periods to have access to their medical records. Since then technology has changed the way nurses and health care providers care for their patients. Documentation of patient care has moved to an electronic heath care system in which facilities around the world implement electronic health care systems. Electronic health records (EHR) is defined as a longitudinal electronic record of

    Read More

  • The First Aging American's Act

    1805 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1965 the first Aging American’s Act was passed. This legislation was part of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society reform. In passing this legislation nearly 50 years ago, the government created a new department the focused on the rights and needs of the gaining population called the United States Administration on Aging. The original legislation was complete with seven titles. The articles include Title I—the Declaration of Objectives for Older Americans; Title II—Establishment of Administration on aging; Title III—Grants for state and community programs on aging; Title IV—Activities for health and independence, and longevity; Title V—Community service senior opportunities act; Title VI—Grants for Native Americans; and Title VII—allotments for vulnerable elder rights protection activities. Each of these titles are present in the most recent Aging Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2013. Each of the titles in the original and reauthorization have levels of measure to ensure that the legislation is enacted in a manner that will protect the aging population. The titles provide guidance to involved organizations and caregivers ensuring each is properly educated in treating the medical and mental health needs of the aging population as well as recognizing, reporting, and preventing elderly abuse, neglect, and physical, mental, and financial exploitation.

    Read More

  • Nurses Are Causing Multiple Medication Errors in a Clinical and Practice Setting

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    The evidenced based problem that was identified for this research assignment, was that nurses were causing multiple medication errors in a clinical and practice setting. According to the authors Wolf, Hicks, and Serembus (2006), a medication error is defined as any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer. It is very important for experienced nurses and nursing professors to identify medication errors to prevent them from harming the patient. Some of the errors that were identified were not reported because registered nurses didn’t want their peers to think they were irresponsible (Unver, Tastan, & Akbayrak, 2012). Nurse shaming did not help increase positive outcomes of reporting errors among nursing students and registered nurses (Harding & Petrick, 2008). When medication errors were reported they were not being reported properly, and the consequences for improper reporting were not taken seriously.

    Read More

  • Medication Errors Research Paper

    1145 Words  | 3 Pages

    Some method such as audits, chart reviews, computer monitoring, incident report, bar codes and direct patient observation can improve and decrease medication errors. Regular audits can help patient’s care and reeducate nurses in the work field to new practices. Also reporting of medication errors can help with data comparison and is a learning experience for everyone. Other avenues that has been implemented are computerized physician order entry systems or electronic prescribing (a process of electronic entry of a doctor’s instructions for the treatment of patients under his/her care which communicates these orders over a computer network to other staff or departments) responsible for fulfilling the order, and ward pharmacists can be more diligence on the prescription stage of the medication pathway. A random survey was done in hospital pharmacies on medication error documentation and actions taken against pharmacists involved. A total of 500 hospital were selected in the United States. Data collected on the number of medication error reported, what types of errors were documented and the hospital demographics. The response rate was a total of 28%. Practically, all of the hospitals had policies and procedures in place for reporting medication errors.

    Read More

  • Nursing Home Culture

    1028 Words  | 3 Pages

    Elderly Culture and Nursing Homes Nursing homes offer a wide range of long-term care assistance for older adults to be able to meet their everyday needs. Older adults from different cultural backgrounds experience conflict with their decision to participate in a nursing home, catalyzing the underlying stigma different cultures hold towards nursing homes. In many cultures, older adults look for family as their primary source of care. However, when their needs cannot be met due to disability and mental health issues, it begins to take a toll on the person’s instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). IADLs are complex daily actions that are needed to live (Cavanaugh & Blanchard-Fields, 2015).

    Read More

  • Essay On Ageism

    1251 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are profound effects of ageism that can be harmful to a patient’s overall health. Ageism can cause physicians to consistently treat older patients unequally compared to younger adults. Unequal treatment can be divided into the under-treatment of symptoms and the over-treatment of symptoms. The imbalance in how a physician would treat a geriatric patient is ageist because the older adult is not getting fair treatment in every case. Under-treatment and over-treatment are different; however, they are both equally as harmful to a patients health.

    Read More

  • Nonprofit Organizations Essay

    915 Words  | 2 Pages

    The non-profit health care arena needs more help in these growing financial times, due the unpredictable problem in our health plans such as raising health care costs. The economic dilemma amount to the global issue if we don’t reach in our pockets to help. Though adequately warned, the non-profit nursing homes continue to have minimum control regarding the changes which occurring financially, technologically, and politically in our expanding society. However, they do, have power over their inside management structure. They have to explore the possibility of fresh ideas from leadership, management, and the structure of the organization so they can sustain industry control. Non-for-profit are lead by a board of directors, and the size can vary from 5 to 50. These members of the council do not receive

    Read More

  • Nursing Home Abuse

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nursing homes who receive federal funds are required to comply with federal laws that specify that residents receive a high quality of care. In 1987 Congress responded to reports of widespread neglect and abuse in nursing homes during 1980’s, which enacted legislation to reform nursing home regulations and require nursing homes participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs to comply with certain requirements for quality of care. The legislation, included in the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987, which specifies that a nursing home “must provide services and activities to attain or maintain the highest practicable phys...

    Read More

  • The Importance of Assisted Living

    1174 Words  | 3 Pages

    Assisted living is an effective type of care facility programmed towards helping older individuals with their increasing disabilities. “The fit between individual capacity and the availability of satisfying activities within an environment is an important aspect of positive aging and an especially salient issue for ALF [Assisted Living Faculty] management, given the role of activities in the consumer selection of assisted living”.2 This isolation of this quote is “positive aging”. Positive aging is important since it leads individuals to have a happier and more fulfilling life, and it can be supported through everyday activities and through the living environment. In nursing homes, each individual needs help with making sure that they are given care that meets their needs. This varies through different states and also communities. The purpose of the quote is to show that each person should be evaluated individually, meaning everyone needs a different approach to deal with the aging process.

    Read More

  • Ecological Systems Theory: The Quality Of Elder Care

    997 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Who does a son turn to, when his 78 year-old mother, newly admitted to a nursing home’s rehab unit, is experiencing delusions and screams through the night? Or where does a daughter turn to for help when she notices a rapid decline in her mother’s health and her mother refuses to seek medical care? Or the gentleman who believes it is time to a continuing care retirement community, but has no one to advise him on the myriad of financial and lifestyle implications of such a move? (Lederman, 2012)." Within in the field of home health care, ecological system creates an outline for defining what it means to provide quality care to the elderly.

    Read More

  • Polypharmacy in Older Adults

    1030 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is a fact; the older adult population is living longer. While many older adults are fit and healthy, others are frail and weak requiring necessary medication. It is more important than ever for all of the healthcare community to be conscious of safe prescribing and the proper use of medicine when taking care of older adults.

    Read More

  • Baccalaureate Nursing Essay

    1394 Words  | 3 Pages

    Baccalaureate nurses are responsible for providing and ensure our patients safety. The knowledge from others mistakes can help informs nurses of extra precautions that we can take to ensure our patient’s safety. Risk Analysis and Implication for practice course helped me understand the steps I as a nurse can take as well as the facilities I work for to help reduce the number of medication errors that occur. Interviewing the pharmacist help me get a better insight to what facilities already have in place to help prevent medication errors. However like most things you have to have educated and compassionate caring staff to enforce and follow the guidelines set in place.

    Read More

More about Analytic Cover Essay On Vulnerable Populations

Open Document