Maternal morbidity and mortality is a national health problem. Preventing complications of pregnancy is included in
the 2020 National Health Goals. The purpose of this written assignment is to describe how evidenced based
findings can improve patient outcomes related to obstetrical care.
SEE ATTACHED FILE
SAMPLE ANSWER
Obstetrical history of the patient which is associated with the primary problem
The morbidities and mortalities that are attributed to maternal health are without any doubt mind boggling hence it has become a national health problem (Isaacs et al., 2014). This has necessitated the Federal government in conjunction with State governments to develop and implement the necessary maternal healthcare frameworks to help in improving maternal health (Tandu-Umba et al., 2013). As a result, there is inclusion of the strategy for prevention of complications of pregnancy in the 2020 National Health Goals. Patients in labor ward settings are often faced with numerous challenges that are imminent after the onset of labor pains that may be attributed to maternal and fetal age and weight, among others (Isaacs et al., 2014).
The successful completion of gestation period by any pregnant women is usually marked with another challenge involving the delivery of the infant. The only two method of delivery that exist are cesarean as well as vaginal delivery whereby the former is often carried out as a form of emergency to either save the life of the mother or child, while the later involves normal delivery either with mild or no difficulties at all. Thus, high birth weight has to a significant extent been attributed to failed induced labor eventually leading to cesarean section (McGlennan & Sherratt, 2013). Hence, in this paper the risk factor from the obstetrical history of the patient which can be considered to be related with the labor ward incident involving 36 hours of failed induced labor is determined to be the high birth weight of the baby boy, which stood at 9 pound 8 ounce. The infant’s high weight is undoubtedly the straightforward cause of failed induction of labor, which subsequently led to the cesarean section. The determination of this answer is based on the obstetric history where the infant’s weight falls since it began to be monitored may immediately after the conception or some weeks as well as months later.
The rate of induction of labor has been rising over the previous decades whereby a good number of them are initiated for the benefit of both the mother and child. However, induction of labor is also done for convenience and this trend may be the cause of increasing numbers of induced labor across the world (Isaacs et al., 2014). For this reason, obstetrical history of the patient has to be closely and critically considered in order to ensure that any imminent risk factor is timely addressed by conducting the appropriate emergency response or risk mitigation measures. According to Vikram & Sabaratnam (2011), there is need to alleviate the risk factors associated with induction of labor subsequently leading to cesarean section, especially when the birth weight is considerably high as observed in this case while examining Tanya’s obstetrical history because there is no other risk factor associated to obstetric history which can be attributed to failed induction of labor. The high birth weight was without any doubts the cause of the failed induced labor because the infant usually prevents the uterine walls from effectively contracting despite epidural administration of oxytocin subsequently ensuring that Tanya had to undergo cesarean section to save the unborn baby prior to fetal distress (McGlennan & Sherratt, 2013).
Early identification of emergencies in the obstetric setting
Emergencies are often in labor wards, and the need to implement appropriate mechanisms or systems for early detection of these emergencies is undisputedly inevitable. The literature has identified several approaches likely for utilization to achieve positive impacts on patient outcomes including: drills, simulations, protocols, as well as vital sign alerts (McGlennan & Sherratt, 2013). In this paper the vital sign alerts approach is to be discussed.
The benefits of the vital signs alerts approach are definitely extensive but only two which are dominant shall be discussed in this paper. First, vital signs alerts approach has the potential to reduce the number of staff required to attend to the same number of patients as in traditional/conventional healthcare settings because the vital signs alerts approach would notify the doctor or nurse on duty of any emergency without the need to make rounds (Tandu-Umba et al., 2013). Second, the signs alerts approach provides convenience for both the staff and patients because any time the patient needs emergency attention, the alert system will come in hardy in timely notifying the staff concerning any incident which qualifies to call a clinical emergency. This vital signs alerts approach does not come without limitations and the two main limitations include: the need to train all the patients on ho to use the vital signs alerts system upon admissions as well as the possibility of misuse either accidentally or deliberately leading to confusion (McGlennan & Sherratt, 2013).
Ways by which vital signs alerts approach improve patient outcomes in the perinatal setting
When patients in perinatal setting, it means that they ought to be under close monitoring in order to observe any changes. The vital signs alerts approach is undoubtedly the best in improving patient outcomes by ensuring that there is timely response to an emergency which subsequently results to quick recovery of the patients (Tandu-Umba et al., 2013). The other important role of this approach in improving patient outcomes in the perinatal setting is its potential to facilitate life saving, because it helps to raise alarm when a patient is in dire need for emergency medical attention, which often turns out to be the life saving moment (Isaacs et al., 2014).
References
Isaacs et al., (2014). A national survey of obstetric early warning systems in the United Kingdom: Five years on. Anesthesia, 69, 687–692. doi:10.1111/anae.12708.
McGlennan, A. P. & Sherratt, K. (2013). Charting change on the labor ward. Anesthesia, 68, 338–42.
Tandu-Umba, B., Tshibangu, R., & Muela, A. (2013). Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes of Induction of Labor at Term in the University Clinics of Kinshasa, DRC Congo. Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 3, 154-157. doi:10.4236/ojog.2013.31A029.
Vikram, T.S. & Sabaratnam, A. (2011). Failed Induction of Labor: Strategies to Improve the Success Rates. Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey,66, 717-728. doi:10.1097/OGX.0b013e31823e0c69
We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!
1. Introduce your chosen Health care policy issue(ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR MINORITIES IN BROWARD COUNTY, FL), the current status, and an overview of your plan for a legislative visit.
2. Articulate key strategies involved in your plan, message, and recommendations under each of the Planning Your Visit Ungraded Worksheet 2 sections using headings in your paper. – SEE BELOW ON SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
3. Provide an analysis of empirical evidence supporting your approach strategies including plan, message, and follow-up.
4. Provide specific examples of the impact and/or importance of a successful visit/presentation to nursing.
5. Provide concluding statements summarizing the content.
6. Paper will be five (5) pages, excluding title and reference pages, and in APA format 6th edition.
PREPARING THE PAPER
Following completion of Planning Your Visit Ungraded Worksheet 2, develop a plan for visiting your policymaker, including the message, and the recommendation(s) you will deliver. Include a minimum of five (5) classic references or current references (published FROM 2011 to now) that support your plan, the message, and recommendations.
Specific Requirements
1. Review what has been done in the past by others regarding your chosen healthcare policy issue. What was the result of their actions related to this policy issue? Why is this issue important to nursing?
2. Who are the federal, state, and local policymakers involved in your chosen policy issue? How can you contact your policymaker? Be sure you single out a policymaker whom you know is interested in your issue.
3. What will be the plan for your presentation to the policymaker? When, where, and how?
4. What is the message you want to give to your selected policymaker/legislator? Can you present a compelling ‘story’? Can you convey your passion and experience with the policy issue? Can you present basic research data in an easy-to-understand and interesting way? What are you asking? What are you recommending? Please review the examples of a policy brief in your text or on the American Nurses Association website. What are your expectations of the policymaker and for your visit/presentation in general?
5. How do you plan to convey your message? What considerations must you have in place with respect to time constraints, availability of policymaker, and contingency plans?
6. Can you include a presentation using PowerPoint, flip chart, or overheads in some way (email or mail ahead of the call)? Include the actual presentation slides (max of 5 slides) in your final course presentation due week 7 (total 15 slides). What information (i.e. handouts) will you leave with the policymaker?
Guidelines for Policymaker/Legislative Visits
7. Most nurses are uncomfortable approaching policymakers, regardless of how prepared they are and how knowledgeable or passionate they are about their policy issue. Nurses tend to grossly underestimate their power and don’t initially understand that policymakers are receptive and anxious to have their input.
8. After you have selected your healthcare policy issue and have thoroughly researched it, develop a message or proposal that is clear and succinct. Be sure that you know the appropriate policymaker and the staff that you approach for your issue. Most students in this course will select a local-level policymaker such as a member of their city council or their local school board.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Health care policy issue
The health care policy issue of concern is poor access to healthcare in Broward County, Florida. Some of the barriers to healthcare as indicated by past community assessment conducted includes poor healthcare literacy, poverty and lack of medical cover (Varughes, 2013). This indicated that there is the need to simplify the healthcare systems, especially the navigation systems to ensure that everyone can obtain care (Varughes, 2013). The 2010 U.S. Census Bureau studies indicated that 24% of the Broward County residents lacked medical cover. The county reported the highest rate of uninsured children below the age of 18, and among the elderly above the age of 65 years (Silverman, 2013).
Broward County is reported to be the second most populated in the State and has the highest record in diversity. It has high percentage of minorities. Approximately, 14.3% of Broward population are aged (above 65 years). The county is also significantly affected by unemployment, with employment rate increasing to 8.1% by 2012 as compared to 4.5% in 2001. This indicated economic crisis (Varughes, 2013). In fact, statistic estimates that 15% of the Broward residents live below poverty levels. Approximately, 15.6% of youths below 18 years are reported to live below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). About 24.8% of the families are below the poverty line. This indicates an increase in number if people relying on public assistance (Silverman, 2013).
For this reason, accessing healthcare has become a challenge, putting the county at risk of communicable and non-communicable diseases. For instance, cardiovascular disorders were rated as the key reason behind the increased mortality for people above 75 years and above (Varughes, 2013). Cancer is also another challenge affecting the minorities and the leading cause of mortality. The non-communicable diseases that are reported to be high among the minorities include diabetes, hypertension and congestive heart failure. The mortality rates for unintentional injuries have also increased, especially unintentional falls among the elderly. The public health efforts include the capacity to develop age appropriate resources for minority, disabled people and ensure that all of these resources are culturally competent. This will help in promoting healthcare through increased health literacy (Silverman, 2013).
Empirical evidence Presentation
Stakeholders: The stakeholders that will be involved includes the health care managers in all healthcare facilities at the Broward county, Key staff of the local department of health as well as the administration of agency of health care as well as the state and the local advisory panels. These stakeholders will give the appropriate input into the policy revisions as well as developments (Varughes, 2013). Other stakeholders that will be involved include partners from various private sectors and government agencies to enhance effective policy development. These includes the Department of Business and professional regulation in Broward county and the emergency management in the Broward county, whose responsibilities will be to coordinate all the healthcare policies related to access of healthcare among the minorities (Silverman, 2013).
Location: The Selected special public health figures/ stakeholders will meet on December 5th, at 1600hrs. The location for the meeting will be held at the BHMC auditoriums. The mode of information to be transferred will be informed of PowerPoint presentations. The meeting is expected to take one hour, 10 minutes of introducing the key stakeholders, 30 minutes of talk, and fifteen minutes to answer questions that may arise during the meeting. Additionally, each of the members will be receive an email that contains all the relevant information about the policy (Silverman, 2013).
Policy statement issue: Increase access to healthcare among the minorities.
As indicated, the main barriers to healthcare facilities are lack of medical insurance, low health literacy and poverty. The federally qualified healthcare facilities in Broward County include the family health centres, memorial healthcare system and the Broward health (Rand, 2014). There in increased detachment between these major healthcare facilities with the minorities in the region (who are the most vulnerable people in the communities). This calls for culturally competent strategies to increase healthcare awareness and provide linkages between the healthcare facilities and these underprivileged people in Broward County (Datar & Chung, 2015).
Gaps identified/ current status: According to community health status assessment in Broward County, only 80.3% of the people have medical insurance. This is way below the state rate, which is 83%. Majority of the people without health insurance are from the minorities (Varughes, 2013).
Table 1.1 Lack of medical cover
Additionally, the number of healthcare resources that are available is inadequate to cater for the health demands in the county. For instance, the ratio of physicians who are licensed in the county per 100,000 populations is below the expected state rate, making the county become federally designated among the regions with shortage of the healthcare professionals (Healthy People 2020, 2012).
Table 1.2 Rates of licensed physicians
Despite the numerous intervention put in place by the previous governance, healthcare access is still an enormous public health concern among the minorities. This calls for development of community health plans that will address this challenge amicably, to produce a long term solution to this public menance (Healthy People 2020, 2012).
Health policy overview
Key strategies and policy implication
The aim of the Florida department of Health in the Broward County (FDOHBC) is to promote, protect as well as improve the health of the people, especially the minorities residing in Florida via integrated local and state efforts (Varughes, 2013). This involves engagement of the community through Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP). These approaches are strategic and have been widely adopted by communities to improve and facilitated improvement of community health and well-being (Silverman, 2013).
As indicated previously, there is increased detachment between the minorities and the major healthcare providers in the Broward community (Walter, Evans, and Atherwood, 2015). This calls for a rapid strategy to improve the navigational systems to ensure that the minorities can access healthcare at affordable prices. The community healthcare programmes must be integrated to increase healthcare awareness in the communities. The first priority is to increase the proportion of the Broward county minority’s medical coverage by 5% annually (Varughes, 2013). This is through increased assistance in completion of federally sponsored medical coverage such as Medicaid, Kidcare and Indigent care programs. Additionally, culturally competent materials, and resources that are age appropriate will be provided to the residents to simplify the medical cover application systems. These include referrals and enrolment of eligible residents in these federal managed medical cover systems (Varughes, 2013).
The second priority is implementation of three strategies that will remove the health barriers as well as improve the linkage between the minorities and the healthcare plan. This strategy will begin through performing a community based assessment to identify the community barriers. This will aid in identification of linkages in care. Strategies will be developed to eradicate and also to strengthen the linkages. The strategies developed must be culturally competent. The strategies will be evaluated and refined (Silverman, 2013).
Conclusion and Recommendations
Due to the increased diverse population in Broward county, the community health demands of the region is increasingly becoming more complex. This is attributable to fluctuations in economy that affect the county negatively, increasing unemployment rates and poverty levels. The recommended steps for this healthcare includes a) developing an action plan to identify and plan for the priorities; b) incorporation and implementation of the identified strategies, c) presentation of findings to the stakeholders and the communities, d) develop a tool to track the improvements to the community and e) establish a system to refine the established strategies.
References
Datar, A., & Chung, P. (2015). Changes in Socioeconomic, Racial/Ethnic, and Sex Disparities in Childhood Obesity at School Entry in the United States. JAMA Pediatrics.169:10 doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015
Walter, R., Evans, A. and Atherwood, S. (2015). Addressing the Affordable Housing Crisis for Vulnerable Renters: Insights From Broward County on an Affordable Housing Acquisition Tool. Housing Policy Debate, 1:27 DOI: 10.1080/10511482.2014.
We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!
Technical Report
The aim of the report is to give the reader an adequate account of the work carried out, as concisely as possible and in a manner which would allow the
reader to repeat the work satisfactorily. Adequate use should be made of references to relevant literature in support of claims and theories and when
referring to results of earlier studies by other workers where appropriate. Text should be written in the past tense and in the third person.
The report should be divided into the following sections:
Acknowledgements:
This should consist of a few words of thanks and appreciation to those who helped the student throughout the period over which the work was carried out.
Abstract:
This is a summary or synopsis of your placement work. It should be brief and self contained (half page to a full page in length) and should state the major
objectives and findings of the investigation / work undertaken. It should answer the following questions:
Why did you start the work?
What did you do and why?
What did you find?
What do your findings mean?
Remember that the abstract gives the reader their first impression of the work.
Introduction:
The Introduction introduces the study, sets the scene, and provides the reader with the insight into what will follow
A concise review of the topic(s) under investigation, with references to previous work done on the subject(s), should be presented where appropriate
The Introduction sets the study in the context of existing works in the area of research or in the context of the overall management of the organisation
for which the work was conducted
The main body of the chapter can be divided into a number of sections by using headings and sub-headings
It should be presented logically and in paragraphs
Sufficient background information should be supplied to allow the reader/examiner to understand and evaluate the results of the work carried out
This chapter justifies your project and it should be obvious to the reader why you undertook the particular work reported
It should include information on the structure and operation of the organisation and also information on the students role and responsibilities during the
placement.
We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!
Mental Health Case Study in Rural Australia Order Instructions: This case presents the issues of Peter, a man living with his wife, Gail on the edges of a regional town.
Mental Health Case Study in Rural Australia
Read the scenario then respond in your assignment to the following questions.
Peter is a 35-year-old man who lives with his wife and two children, aged 10 and 7 years, on a small property just outside a large regional town. Peter grew up on a farm three hours’ drive north but is now well established in the regional town. He works as a middle-level manager in a construction business. He consults a local general practitioner, Dr. Mercedes, for a first visit because he has been experiencing insomnia and loss of energy. Peter adds that one of his workmates has recently been diagnosed with leukaemia. Dr Mercedes has only ten minutes allocated to see Peter and performs a quick physical examination and takes some blood. She asks Peter to return in one week. At the second visit to Dr Mercedes, Peter is told that no physical problem was found on his blood tests. The doctor is at pains to rule out the possibility of leukaemia. Peter appears relieved. The doctor prescribes a short-acting benzodiazepine, temazepam for his sleep. She asks Peter to return in a month if things have not improved.
A fortnight later, Peter goes to see his old family GP, Dr Bill Holden, who practices in a town close to his parents’ farm, where Peter is staying for a visit. Peter explains that he has felt much worse in the last fortnight. His sleep pattern has deteriorated considerably and although he gets off to sleep fairly easily, he wakes every night staring at the clock at 2am and then can’t get back to sleep for hours. The mornings are his worst time but as the day goes on things gradually improve. In the evenings Peter has felt tense as the time to go to bed comes closer and he knows his night will again be difficult. On questioning from Dr Holden, Peter says, “life has always had its ups and downs’, but that he has never felt like this before. He says he has lost his taste for food and has lost 5kg in weight. His wife had told him that he seemed to have lost interest in all his normal hobbies and appeared to get no pleasure from anything. After further questions from Dr Holden, Peter went on to say that his sex drive had dropped away totally. Bill Holden also checks whether Peter has any significant suicidal thoughts and is relieved to find that Peter has no active suicidal plans at present.
Peter went on to explain that lately his wife had tried to cheer him up. He was unable to react to her efforts and constantly felt down. Subsequently Peter’s wife, Gail complained that he always rejected her and was spending more and more time at work. Peter had told her that he was under considerable pressure at work, as his company was trying to secure more building contracts despite difficult economic times. Things had got really difficult between them and last Friday night she had accused Peter of having an affair. He admitted to her that he has sought support from his secretary at work, but denied that a relationship has developed. Gail was very upset and asked him to leave.
The next morning Peter packed his things and drove home to the family farm to stay with his parents. He decided he needed help and that is why he had come to see Dr Holden, whom he had known all his life. After listening to Peter for twenty minutes, Dr Holden tells him he believes Peter is suffering from major depression and that a combined approach of tablets and talking therapy is indicated. Dr Holden tries particularly hard to educate Peter about “depression as an illness” since there is a particular stigma about mental illness in his local community. He informs Peter about the good chance of a recovery from this episode with appropriate treatment.
Suggested structure for assignment is;
Introduction: state briefly what you intend to do in the assignment (150 words).
Body: Briefly describe the nature of Peter’s problem. Reference any material you have used (200 words).
In a regional area such as the one where Peter lives, what are the barriers to mental health care? Give an account of the local scene for someone with a mental health problem. You may pick the area you are currently working, or research an existing area and use this (200 words).
What do you think are his most pressing concerns? Provide a list of both Peter’s and Gail’s concerns. Also suggest the strengths Peter may already bring to help overcome his problem. Give brief explanations of each concern and identify any interventions that may help him. Ensure you identify the level of evidence of the interventions and provide examples from the literature of research that has demonstrated this evidence (800 words).
Examine the different disciplines that may be able to help Peter and Gail and give examples of the way in which these disciplines could work together (300 words).
Conclusion: Tie all of your findings together and give a concise summary of what you have found (350
Mental Health Case Study in Rural Australia Sample Answer
Mental Health: Case Study in Rural Australia
Mental health encompasses psychological stability and absence of psychiatric abnormalities. It also involves emotional well-being and ability to control one’s behavior. Other concepts constituting mental health include self-dependence, autonomy, and intellectual competence. Mental illnesses include critical clinical conditions such as Alzheimer’s syndrome, dementia, psychopathy, obsessive disorders among others. There are also other conditions that occur more frequently such as anxiety, depression, addiction, mood swings, grief, stress and others. When such conditions present with a certain threshold of severity, clinical intervention is necessary. Psychiatric and psychological interventions are particularly helpful in avoiding outcomes such as suicide and tendencies to harm one-self. This paper refers to the case of Peter who visits two doctors and is diagnosed with depression. The paper describes the condition of Peter, looks into societal perception of mental conditions, points out the patient’s major concerns, and offers interventional recommendations to help the patient manage depression.
Peter’s Problem
Peter’s clinical complication is depression. Smith, Saisan, and Segal explained that symptoms of depression include hopelessness, loss of interest in one’s daily encounters, sleep abnormalities, irritability, fatigue, and inability to concentrate among others (2010). Peter experiences most of these problems, and in addition to that, he has fears of having acquired leukemia. Blood tests revealed that Peter was not suffering from leukemia, and his fears were probably motivated by a sensation of hopelessness often associated with depression. Again, Peter presents with occurrences such as loss of appetite and unintended weight loss. Both experiences are symptoms of depression as research findings show (University of Michigan, 2014). Peter is also unable to have fun and interact lively with his family. The condition has worsened with time and patient inability to sleep has aggravated even after treatment with temazepam. Peter also pointed out that life has both good and bad courses. His assertion was motivated by sadness and despair which often occur during depression. Actually, depression is a real disease, and it is best explained from the feelings of patients (University of Michigan, 2014). Possible causes of depression in Peter’s case include fear of having leukemia, work-related emotional stress, and being too self-critical. The condition is worsened by accusations of infidelity placed by Gail against him and his subsequent dismissal from home.
Barriers to Mental Health Care
Peter’s local setup presents significant barriers to his access to mental health care. First, the community expresses unwelcome perceptions about mental diseases. It stigmatizes patients of mental disorders making them feel uncomfortable when seeking psychiatric and psychological care. So as to avoid social consequences, patients may not readily accept that they have mental illnesses. This may interfere with their tendency to seek care and also cooperate in management of these conditions. In Peter’s case, Dr. Holden takes caution when informing his patient about depression as an illness of the brain. The strategy worked effectively in avoiding misunderstandings with his client. Additionally, mental diseases such as depression involve diagnostic questions that patient may not readily answer in the locality. These include one’s interest in activities such as sex as seen in the case of Peter. Other local determinants of care accessibility include adequacy of medical and psychiatric personnel to handle patient concerns effectively. In some situations, patients would require in-depth evaluation that would cost health institutions considerably large amount of time. In cases where hospitals would not have adequate personnel, institutions would limit the length of patient appointments so as to attend as many clients as possible. On the same point, small towns may not sustain medical specialists such as psychiatrists, and patients would have limited access to specialized mental health care (The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry, 2015). In Peter’s case, Dr. Mercedes only had ten minutes to diagnose and evaluate the clinical condition of her client.
Peter’s and Gail’s Concerns
Peter’s concerns included his current and future health, safety of the job environment, economic gains for his company, as well the well-being of his family. On the other hand, Gail’s concerns are about health and social condition of her husband. Gail worries about Peter’s loss of interest in different aspects including interactions with his family, eating, engagement in sex, as well as his long stays at work. However, Gail does not expect Peter to suffer from a mental condition, and so, she does not relate Peter’s condition to disease. Instead, she worries that Peter’s behavior is associated with an affair with his secretary.
On his side, Peter worries about a possibility of experiencing severe health complications in the future. The instance of one of his workmate being diagnosed with leukemia makes him worried about his possibility of suffering from the same condition. The patient is probably dissatisfied with his current job and he feels a need to take early measure of avoiding leukemia. It is for this reason he suggested that Dr. Mercedes examine him for cancer. However, peter’s condition does not improve even after being proved not to have leukemia. Most likely, the middle-level manager still feels predisposed to the disease and he fears continuing with the job. Peter has a considerably young family and the thought of acquiring cancer could be causing severe mental disturbance to him. So as to overcome these worries, Peter should purpose to resolve the ambiguity regarding his working place and predisposition to disease. Wahrenberg explained that when people have misunderstandings about issues that cause them to worry and become anxious and depressed, they should seek direct answers to such concerns for them to overcome them (2014). Therefore Peter would need seeking assurance from health agencies and his company that he would not be placed at the risk of diseases by the working environment.
Peter is also concerned about his currently deteriorating health status. The patient expected that his health status would have improved after his first visit to Dr. Mercedes. His expectations were unmet, and instead of having improvements, Peter experienced worse sleep disturbances. When patients fail to improve after taking medications, they have high tendencies to question their diagnoses and they may end up experiencing increasing worries. If their doubts are high, they may not feel improvements. Research indicates that patients can heal from placebo effects on the basis that patient beliefs play significantly in determining treatment outcomes (Miller, Colloca, & Kaptchuk, 2009, p. 518). Likewise, it is possible for patients not to recover from illnesses if they continue to belief that they are sick. Since depression is a disease of the mind, Peter’s thoughts of not healing would have counted remarkably in causing his health deterioration. So as to settle the above concerns, Peter would require psychological boost. Psychotherapy would be necessary in boosting his mentality and overcome the impact of negative feelings. There are various professionals who could administer psychological therapy to Peter. They include health care specialists such as psychologists and nurses, as well as social professionals such as spiritual leaders and counselors. Research shows that morale boost facilitates patient healing and recovery from diseases (Miller, Colloca, & Kaptchuk, 2009, p. 518). However, there are certain standards that psychotherapy should meet for it to work for the case of Peter. First, the therapist needs having updated information concerning depression and its management. This would see to optimal effectiveness of recommendations offered by the therapist. Again, the patient must feel free to interact with his therapist. It is recommendable that Peter uses a therapist whom he likes. Additionally, psychotherapy should be time-limited, and it should be reconsidered if the patient does not improve within the first six sessions (Clinical Depression.co.uk, 2015). Again, the intervention should entail interpersonal, behavioral, and cognitive types of therapy. Cognitive therapy would particularly improve patients’ perception of self and their future, and it also helps them to overcome behavioral challenges such as inability to sleep (Hofmann, Asnaani, Vonk, Sawyer, & Fang, 2012, p. 427). Therefore, it would be effective for the case of Peter considering his situation and concerns. Other approaches that could work effectively in managing depression include engagement in exercises. The intervention would boost both his physical and mental health. However, Peter would still need motivation to engage in exercises as adherence to the practice could be hindered by his current condition. Peter experiences fatigue, loses interest in most activities, and has considerably high chances of poor self-esteem. Research shows that the above experiences often compromise the effectiveness of exercise as a measure to manage depression (Blumenthal, Smith, & Hoffman, 2012, p. 18). Peter may also consider approaches such as using appetizers to boost his poor appetite. He may also consider taking a short leave from his job so as to regain his health.
Generally, Peter expresses strengths that would facilitate implementation of various management strategies. For instance, he is willing to seek medical help to handle his condition. Therefore, he is likely to cooperate with his health care providers and adhere to recommendations. Additionally, Peter has a family that would be a source of support for his recovery. It is most likely that his wife would offer necessary physical and psychological support if she understands the health situation of her husband. Lastly, Peter is employed and it is most likely that he has an insurance cover that would cater for his treatment and therapy.
Relevant Disciplines and their Coordination in Managing Peter and Gail’s Situation
Depression is a significantly complex disease owing to its association with other conditions such as aging, physical ill health, grief, dementia and so on. Different health care disciplines should share knowledge and guide one another in its management. Relevant disciplines in the case of Peter and Gail include a psychologist, psychiatrist, nurse, therapist, nutritionist, and family members. Each member of the team would play a role that matches their specialization for efficiency. For instance, a psychologist may head the team and communicate the needs of the patient to the rest of the team. The psychiatric would carry out the role of prescribing medications, while the nurse would constantly monitor the patient. A physical therapist would help Peter engage in exercises, while the nutritionist would help the patient recover his appetite. Family members would work together with the team in supporting their patient by offering a peaceful environment and helping him physically and emotionally. Novotney reported that depression management works best with the integration of multiple strategies such as exercise, stress management, and pharmacological interventions (2010, p. 40). There are numerous benefits associated with a multidisciplinary approach to disease management. Novotney reported that the approach is cost-effective and it is cheaper than the traditional forms of care that involved minimal integration (2010, p. 40). Such a strategy would also save time for the patient as he would receive holistic type of care at the same time. Again, the move is associated with a high degree of efficiency. Professionals would first share their knowledge, discuss options, settle their differences, and offer recommendations that are verified from multiple perspectives. The strategy would also promote patient satisfaction in that Peter would not have to strain to have his needs addressed. Instead, professionals would work closely with one another, identify patient needs, and make necessary arrangements and hence act on behalf of their client. An inert-disciplinary approach would also enhance interactions between the patient and care providers as professionals would gain a deep understanding of their customer.
Mental Health Case Study in Rural Australia Conclusion
Mental health is a broad term describing people’s psychological status as well as their lack of psychiatric disorders. Diseases of the mind are varied with some being critical and complex while others are barely severe. Conditions such as depression, addiction, anxiety, loss of moods, and stress may be mistaken for insignificant clinical conditions, but in most cases, they impact undesirably on people’s health and life quality. A critical evaluation of Peter’s experiences suggests that the middle-level manager is depressed. He has been experiencing fears of having leukemia but diagnostic test revealed that he did not have the condition. Even after receiving the good news and receiving treatment to depression, Peter did not improve, and instead, his condition worsened. His depression is severe to an extent that it affects the outcomes of its treatment. His failure to respond positively to treatment was influenced by his depressed status and a conviction that he was facing a severe threat to health. It is important to note that some localities pose significant barriers to accessibility of mental health care to patients. For the case of Peter, the society stigmatizes mental health patients. Such situations make it hard for patients to comfortably seek treatment for mental diseases. Other factors affecting the accessibility of mental health services expressed by specific local regions include inability to sustain psychiatric specialists. In most cases, diseases make patients and their families to worry. At the same time, diseases such as depression could result from worrying. Major worries that Peter held included the fear that he could be at the risk of getting leukemia. The middle-level manager was probably concerned about the safety of his job environment considering the recent occurrence of his workmate being diagnosed with leukemia. Psychotherapy, exercises, medication, and an approach to address his causes of depression such as seeking assurance about the safety of his working environment were recommendable approaches toward depression management for Peter. A multidisciplinary team would be crucial in implementing such strategies. It would involve clinical professionals as well as non-clinical staff. Gail and the rest of Peter’s family would also be important as they would offer physical and emotional support to Peter and promote his recovery from depression.
Mental Health Case Study in Rural Australia References
Blumenthal, J. A., Smith, P. J., & Hoffman, B. M. (2012). Is exercise a viable treatment for depression? ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal, 16(4), 14–21.
Hofmann, S. G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I. J. J., Sawyer, A. T., & Fang, A. (2012). The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: a review of meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 36(5), 427–440.
Miller, F. G., Colloca, L., & Kaptchuk, T. J. (2009). The placebo effect: illness and interpersonal healing. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 52(4), 518.
Novotney, A. (2010). Integrated care is nothing new for these psychologists. American Psychological Association, 41(1), 40.
Smith, M, Saisan, N., & Segal, J. (2015). Depression symptoms and warning signs. Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/depression-signs-and-symptoms.htm
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry. (2015). Delivering mental health care in rural areas. Retrieved from https://www.ranzcp.org/Publications/Rural-psychiatry/Delivering-mental-health-care-in-rural-areas.aspx
University of Michigan. (2014). Depression. Retrieved from http://www.depressiontoolkit.org/aboutyourdiagnosis/depression.asp
Wahrenberg, M. (2014, July 8). Worry and anxiety in depression. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/depression-management-techniques/201407/worry-and-anxiety-in-depression
Maternal morbidity and mortality is a national health problem. Preventing complications of pregnancy is included in the 2020 National Health Goals. The purpose of this written assignment is to describe how evidenced based findings can improve patient outcomes related to obstetrical care.
Tanya Kim, 36, G4 P4, was in labor for 36 hours when she had a cesarean birth for a failed induction of labor. She delivered a 9 pound 8 ounce male infant. Tanya’s labor was induced with oxytocin at 41 weeks gestation and continuous epidural was placed during active labor. The epidural was discontinued after delivery. She has iron deficiency anemia but otherwise an unremarkable medical history. She has no known allergies. Her obstetrical history includes 1 spontaneous abortion 6 years ago, vaginal delivery of twins 4 years ago, one singleton vaginal delivery 2 years ago and the cesarean birth today. Tanya plans to breastfeed her infant.
Two hours post-delivery the RN assesses the following:
Vital signs: BP 90/62, pulse 88, Respirations 22, temperature 98.6°F
Skin color: pink
Fundus: boggy, firms with fundal massage, midline and at umbilicus.
Lochia: Heavy rubra with nickel-sized clots
Pain: Uterine cramping rates pain 4 out of 10 on verbal pain scale
Intravenous fluids: 3000 mL Lactated Ringers with 20 units of Pitocin in each bag.
Urinary output: 200 mL since delivery (urinary catheter in place)
Patient comments: “I’m really tired. I have been up for the last two nights.”
One hour later the patient puts her light on and makes the following comment:
“I’m really bleeding a lot!” The RN comes in the room and notes increased vaginal bleeding. The patient is pale, diaphoretic, and the uterine fundus is boggy. The fundus does not firm with massage.
Using APA format, write a 2-3 page paper (excludes cover and reference page) that addresses the following:
1.Identify at least one (1) risk factor from the patient’s obstetrical history associated with the primary problem. Describe why this piece of obstetrical history places the patient at risk for the identified problem.
2.Early identification of emergencies in the obstetric setting is essential to save lives. Four (4) approaches are identified in the literature that can be utilized to positively impact patient outcomes: simulations, drills, protocols, vital sign alerts. Select one of these approaches and address the following: ?
Discuss two (2) benefits and two (2) limitations of the selected approach.
Describe two (2) ways by which this approach will improve patient outcomes in the perinatal setting.
A minimum of two (2) current professional references must be provided. Only one (1) textbook that is no more than one (1) edition old may be used.
Current references include professional publications that reflect nursing care provided within the United States. Current nursing professional references must be current (five [5] years or less). Reliable internet sources such as those offered by government agencies, academic institutions or nationally recognized professional organizations may also be used. Examples of unacceptable internet sources include but are not limited to: Wikipedia, medicinenet.com, allnurses.com, and any nursing blog site.
Compose your work using a word processor (or other software as appropriate) and save it frequently to your computer. Use a 12 font size, double space your work and use APA format for citations, references, and overall format. Information on how to use the Excelsior College Library to help you research and write your paper is available through the Library Help for AD Nursing Courses page. Assistance with APA format, grammar, and avoiding plagiarism is available for free through the Excelsior College Online Writing Lab (OWL). Be sure to check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors before you submit your assignment
FYI: Current text books being used for this course and materials are:
Textbooks (Chapter numbers and titles may differ in subsequent editions of a given textbook. If your edition is different, use the Table of Contents in the textbook to locate the appropriate chapters to read):
Hinkle, J., & Cheever, K. (2013). Brunner and Suddarth’s textbook of medical-surgical nursing (13th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Kee, J., Hayes, E., & McCuistion, L. (2015). Pharmacology: A nursing process approach (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier.
Nursing Diagnosis Guidebook – A pocket-size nursing diagnosis guidebook of your choice that is no more than one edition old, that includes NANDA International-approved nursing diagnoses, definitions, defining characteristics, and possible nursing Interventions.
Pillitteri, A. (2014). Maternal & child health nursing: Care of the childbearing and childrearing family (7th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins.
FYI Paper rubic.
NUR209 M6A3: Improving Obstetric Patient Outcomes Paper Rubric
The Case Study assignment addresses the following Student Learning Program Outcomes (SLPOs) and Course Outcomes.
Student Learning Program Outcomes (SLPO) Course Outcomes (CLO)
SLPO #2 (Nursing Judgment): Apply the nursing process to make nursing judgments, substantiated with evidence to provide safe, quality patient care across the lifespan.
2. Apply the nursing process when making nursing judgments to provide safe, quality,
nursing care for families and patients with perinatal and reproductive health care needs.
SLPO #6 (Spirit of Inquiry): Use interpreted published research and information
technology to improve the quality of care for patients.
6. Incorporate evidence-based findings and interpreted research into the provision of safe, quality nursing care for patients with perinatal and reproductive health care needs.
The following criteria are used to grade your two (2) to three (3) page (excluding the cover page and reference page) Case Study Assignment, which accounts for 10% of your final course grade.
Performance levels for each criterion include the following:
Unacceptable indicates that the student’s attempt at the assignment is poor in quality and fails to meet minimum “adequate” criteria.
Adequate indicates a student has met minimal requirements.
Good indicates all expectations of the assignment were met in a comprehensive manner.
Exceptional indicates that expectations of the assignment were exceeded, whereby a student went above and beyond the assignment as written.
Exceptional performance is considered rare.
Expectations described under each performance level define the minimum performance that must be demonstrated to earn the minimum points at that level.
**Plagiarism is not acceptable. Evidence of plagiarism will result in a zero (0) grade for the assignment and may also result in academic discipline.**
SAMPLE ANSWER
Improving Obstetric Patient Outcomes Paper
Labour complications are the leading cause of long term disabilities, mortalities and morbidity for both the mother and the babies. One of the approaches is to assess the patient obstetrical history to identify if the pregnancy is a high risk or not. Certain maternal risks factors are associated with risk factors and are identified by assess the outcomes of previous pregnancies. In this context, the patient had suffered from spontaneous abortion during her first pregnancy. Additionally, the patient had undergone other pregnancies (multiple delieveries), and this could have had an impact with her delivery. This is the main factor that could be associated with the prolonged labour and increased bleeding post-delivery. The excessive may result due to the opened blood vessels during the caesarean delivery (Pillitteri, 2014). This is because a pregnant uterus has the most blood supplies as compared to any other body organ. Therefore, the walls of the uterus are cut wide open to access the baby. Although most of the women have the ability to tolerate the blood loss without presenting any health complications, in some few people, some complications could arise. This is severe especially in patients who have difficult in clotting; making it difficult to stop bleeding even with minor cut or even shears. Research indicates that postpartum haemorrhage is common and affects about 6% of the women undergoing caesarean delivery(Kee, Hayes, & McCuistion, 2015).
To save the lives of both the child and the mother, it is important to identify emergencies in the obstetric settings early enough. This is because emergencies can lead to the permanent disabilities or even death of the mother, the infant or both. The main approaches identified by the evidence based practice that can be utilized includes, drills, protocols, simulation and vital sign alerts. In this case study, the best approach that should be used is the protocols. The most strategic approach in this case is use of protocols. Protocols refer to set of rules and procedures that must be followed based on the conventions that have been proven to work in such incidences (Kee, Hayes, & McCuistion, 2015).
The main advantage is that it helps the healthcare provider make the most ethical decision as required by the organization and their professional standards (Kee, Hayes, & McCuistion, 2015). Secondly, because the information in the protocols are written according to the evidence based research, it provides the most effective remedy to patients irrespective of where or who delivers the care i.e. makes quality care the standard. The main challenge is the possibility of err in healthcare protocols, because the judgement value made by guideline could be the wrong choice for this particular patient. Secondly, effective use of protocols is determined by the nurse experience and clinical opinions, and thus, for an inexperienced nurse can pick the most inferior options due to misconceptions or misrepresented community norms (Hinkle & Cheever, 2013).
In this context, the protocol of postpartum assessment includes the assessment of patient’s vital signs, the assessment of breasts, bladder, fundus, perineum, lochia, legs as well as any other incision in the body. The patient pain must be assessed including the location, the type of pain, quality and degree of severity. If necessary, pain medications can be administered to reduce the irritation as well as the swelling. From the assessment records, the postpartum condition of the patient was normal. However after one hour, the patient calls for help, as she feels that she are bleeding a lot (Pillitteri, 2014).
The nurse assessment notices the vaginal bleeding, the patient if diaphoretic, pale and her fundus is boggy even with a firm massage. This is an indicator of postpartum haemorrhage, which could be due to uterine atony and trauma. Postpartum haemorrhages are grouped as emergency complications, and must be treated by a qualified physician. According to the protocols, the patient should be administered oxytocin IV or IM. If the intravenous oxytocin is unavailable, or the bleeding still continuous, then the following medication should be used, including the intravenous ergometrine, prostaglandin (sublingual misoprostol, 800 µg) or combination of oxytocin-ergometrine is strongly recommended. With effective treatment as indicated by the protocol, 90% of the patients make recovery few weeks. In some cases, blood transfusion can be administered to patients who have lost a lot of blood. Other supplements such as iron supplements, vitamins and nutritious dietary could facilitate improve the patient strength and increase patients’ blood supply. The approach will reduce the bleeding rate and improve the patients’ quality of life (Kee, Hayes, & McCuistion, 2015). The protocol also helps in the identification of the risk factors associated with postpartum haemorrhage including history of post-partum, prolonged labour, fetal macrosomia, multiple deliveries. However, it can also occur in patients not presenting the risk factors. The healthcare plan must be identified and designed before delivery. This coupled with assessment of vital signs can improve the patient’s delivery process and help in the detection of both slow and steady bleeding (Kee, Hayes, & McCuistion, 2015).
References
Hinkle, J., & Cheever, K. (2013). Brunner and Suddarth’s textbook of medical-surgical nursing (13th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Kee, J., Hayes, E., & McCuistion, L. (2015). Pharmacology: A nursing process approach (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier.
Pillitteri, A. (2014). Maternal & child health nursing: Care of the childbearing and childrearing family (7th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins.
We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!
You must identify 4 pieces of artwork and present this as part of your e-portfolio Exhibition report. This must be a visual
and informative research piece containing at least 2000 words 10 a4 pages.
For each piece of work you must introduce the artist, name of work and year produced, before describing the work content,
context, form, process, and mood.
I have attached a document with my 4 chosen artwork pieces and another document with the questions you need to cover for each
piece.
For each painting have 5 separate paragraphs. (content, context, form, process, and mood) answering all the questions from
each section.
We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!
Most of the challenges faced in healthcare are associated with poor communication processes. It is vital to explore the process of communication to appreciate on how it affects the healthcare stakeholders in delivery of their services (Department of Health, 2010). Most of the healthcare staff lacks the understanding of the legal frameworks that govern the process of transferring information within the healthcare and the social care settings. It is vital to note that effective communication within the organization should lie within the context of the healthcare job role, and the principle of confidentiality of information must be supported (Rasheed, Hetherington, & Irvine, 2014). In this contest, this paper describes the on ways to understand the health and safety communication legislation is implemented in the work place. The paper will also explore on ways in which the health and safety requirements influence the various healthcare stakeholders, and how the safety in healthcare and the social care workplace can be reviewed and monitored.
Task 1.1
There are various legal communication frameworks that can be used to implement efficient communication in Silver Meadows healthcare facility (NHS, 2014). These includes legislations such as Health and Safety at workplace Act of 1974, COSHH 2002, Food and Safety Act 1990, Care Standard Acts 2000, Workplace regulations 1992, Mental Health Act 2007, Food Safety regulations 1992 and RIDDOR 1995. These legislations have been put forward to place order within the healthcare setting and sustaining safe working environments (Department of Health, 2010).
Failure to implement these legal frameworks, Silver Meadow healthcare facility is faced with numerous challenges associated with miscommunication, putting the safety and the quality standards of the healthcare facility and patient’s life in jeopardy. The healthcare facility must identify ways to communicate on important risk issues such as fire evacuation plan, the fire escape procedures or liability plan.
A policy procedure of implementation consists of 3 parts;
a) A general statement that describes the organization intent- i.e. philosophy of the healthcare facility regarding health and safety
b) Organization- of the staff, chain of commands and their responsibilities in health and safety management
c) Arrangements- including the procedures and systems. These include safe systems, training, machine area guarding, noise control, fire safety, prevention etc.
During the implementation process, Silver Meadow staff must consider the mode of communication that is most effective. The information can be through various modes of communication such as verbal, audio visual or even verbal communication (Rasheed, Hetherington, & Irvine, 2014). Irrespective of the mode of communication chosen, the information must be clear, succinct as long information could lead to confusion. Some of the most effective communication implementation plan is through the use of diagrams. This includes policy manuals or the health and diagrams/ charts to indicate what should be done in case of emergency (Department of Health 2013b).
A short video can be displayed to help those who cannot read or write understand the risks involved if certain safety measures are not followed, thus protecting the service providers and the service users form injuries. The common means of communication that is universally accepted by the European Unions (EU) are the most effective tools that should be used to convey important information within the healthcare settings (Rasheed, Hetherington, & Irvine, 2014). This process aids in conveying the same message across the globe, irrespective of the type of communication barrier such as language, and physical disabilities such as deaf, low proficiency in the national language, age, education level among others. Examples of such symbols are shown below:
Source: Victory Graphics Art, 2014.
The employers as well as directors of health and social care have a statutory duty by Health and Safety at work 1974 to prepare and store revised written information of safety policy within their work place. The policy statement and any information revised must be brought to the employees attentions through notification, posters and issuing of documents. This policy document should have information for employer’s duties, training courses requirements and any other important briefing sessions of the employees. The organization policies and manuals must be documented into a single manual to ensure that every person in the healthcare facility can access the piece of information; the risks are evaluated and controlled. The organization must assign one person is responsible for the maintenance of a safety organization. This is to ensure that all the equipment is evaluated, first aid regulations are followed, and all safety equipment that is missing gets replaced. This ensures that healthcare facility safety is maintained, and the quality standards of the organizations are sustained (HSE, 2014).
The law also expects that the employee must be consulted on health and safety issues. This facilitates creation and maintenance of safe healthy environment; and also motivates the staff, making them become aware of the health as well as safety issues. The safety information that must be given to the employees includes the dangers and risks associated with their work. This promotes the planning of safety measure, which is achieved through training (Social Care, n.d.).
Additionally, the management of health and safety work regulations 1992 states that employers must assess safety risks at their work places in order to identify risks early enough, and to develop protective measures. This helps in ensuring that the employees work related injuries are reduced; thereby creating a safety culture within the organizations. This helps the employer to meet legal duty of protecting the health as well as safety issues of the employees (Social Care, n.d.).
Therefore, Silver Meadow’s must also conduct health assessments as stipulated by the Patient Led Assessment of Care Environment (PLACE). These assessments aids in ensuring that the healthcare organizations are safe and protect all the stakeholders that work within the organization. This is clearly stipulated by the NHS standard Contract 2013/2014, which illustrates a candour contractual responsibility for the organization staff to ensure that the healthcare facility is safe. The standards ensures that the healthcare facility have adequate light, ventilation, working space and the continual training of the staff to ensure that they sustain a safety culture within the healthcare facility (RCN, 2013).
Task 1.2
The healthcare provider’s responsibilities in maintaining safety in healthcare facilities is well illustrated by Health and Safety responsibilities in the health and safety work Act 1974. Responsibility is defined as an obligation to perform a specific task to completion that one is mandated to fulfil, and one that have a consequent penalty if not fulfilled. Each person has a responsibility to ensure that they have responsibility (RCN, 2013).
For instance Health and Safety commission have proposed to Secretary of state the health and safety regulations, for example Noise at Work regulation 1989. The health and safety executives should mandated to ensure the health and Safety commission proposed acts are carried out on daily basis. They should be involved in the investigation of risky incidents. They are expected to inspect healthcare facilities without any warning to identify if regulations are being breached. They can give two types of notices; a) improvement notices- notices that tell the employer to improve certain condition within a stipulated period of time; and b) prohibition notice- that is only given if the inspectors have evidences that indicate high risk of work related injuries (RCN, 2013).
Employers are expected to comply with the established legal requirements. They should take employee’s liability insurances. They should follow standard operation procedures to ensure that the machinery is used properly minimizing risk of injuries. They should ensure that all the work equipment is maintained. All toxic and lethal substances must be stored in safe cabinets and out of people reach (HSE, 2010). In general, employers are expected to safeguard the health and safety of their employees. They should provide instruction, training and supervision of all activities that promote patient safety. They should write safety polices; and publishing them on notice board for all the employees to see. They should provide the health and safety poster to each employee as mandated by Health and safety at work Act 1974. The written policy should be comprehensively indicates organization rules in terms of manpower, terms of system and policy implementation. The policy must name all managers and directors and their responsibilities (Fraser, 2014).
The employee’s responsibilities include taking care of themselves to avoid work related injuries. This is achieved by taking great care of themselves as well as their colleagues. This is achieved by following written policy. They must not interfere with any of medical devices. The employees must report hazards, risks and accidents to relevant authorities. They should avoid wearing jewellery or loose clothing during machinery operation. They must cooperate with their members and employers, especially during safety training. They must always use PPE appropriately. If there are any reasonable concerns about safety, they must be report them to Health and Safety Executive. The employees have right to rest breaks at work, time off the work with annually paid holidays. Employees are represented by health and safety representatives that are appointed by trade unions. To represent employees on safety, health and welfare issues. They must consult on health and safety issues that affect their members. They should attend safety committee meetings (Rasheed, Hetherington, & Irvine, 2014).
In the Silver Meadow’s case study, the organization has much responsibility in ensuring that the new clinical guidelines on organizational culture. This includes the process of ensuring that the risks are managed effectively One of the directors in the Silver Meadow’s healthcare facility must be mandated with the organization security, safety and quality of care. This designated person will ensure that the healthcare facility understands the relevant legislations and standards of health and safety. This can be done through meetings where the healthcare organizations will be mandated in ensuring that all the stakeholders (external and internal) are adequately informed on the safety regulations and the quality standards. If necessary, training can be done to ensure that the service providers and the service users are at par (Rasheed, Hetherington, & Irvine, 2014).
The junior staffs are responsible of every action they undertake. Therefore, before performing any practice, a risk assessment must be performed to ensure that the activity will not harm the service users and service providers in Silver Meadow’s healthcare facility (Social care, n.d.). They must always report the accidents or near misses, so that the cause can be evaluated, and solutions to solve the accidents as well as strategies to avoid such incidences in the future are met. These reports must be submitted to the secretary in the department of health, which are used during inspection to see if the health and safety regulations meet the required criteria (Francis, 2013).
The Silver Meadow’s board members have the responsibility to ensure that inspections are conducted regularly. This will ensure that the healthcare facility observes the established safety standards and legal frameworks within the healthcare facility. Additionally, the NHS board members have the responsibility of assessing the healthcare facility including the workplace environment to ensure that the employees are not posed to risks or work related hazards (Francis, 2013). They must ensure that the working condition complies with the Healthy and Safety executive standards. Where the board members are dissatisfied with the standards in the organization, then they have the full responsibility to ensure that they advise the healthcare facility management on issues to rectify. If the issues are not improved, then the relevant penalties can be issued to the healthcare facility. The penalties include hefty fines or even the closure of the healthcare facility, but they largely depend on the magnitude of healthcare irregularity practiced (Fraser, 2014).
The employer’s responsibility is to ensure that the employees have a safe working condition. They must issue the employees with protective working apparatus to ensure that they are protected from unsafe environment (Social care, n.d.). They must insure the employees on medical covers and other liabilities associated with their work. The employers must report all incidences of injuries and the near misses to the secretary in the Department of health. Additionally, they must be the key decision makers, and where the healthcare providers are faced with numerous challenges or ethical dilemmas, they must inform their employers, and the path chosen must be align with the employers wills (HSE, 2010).
The employees must document the organization policies and standards. They must also identify the organizations mission, objectives and aims. They are mandated in ensuring that they deliver quality care and sustaining of a safe culture within the organization (RCN, 2013). Each of the employees must be assigned safety responsibilities such as quality control, maintenance of equipment and fire training. This must be coupled with effective leadership. This is because the organization standards are largely influenced by the type of leaders (Francis, 2013).
Task 1.3
The healthcare priorities should comply with health and safety regulations. Examples include COSHH, FIRST AID PRECAUTIONS, RIDDOR, WORK EQUIPMENT etc. The first priority includes that of reporting incidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences reporting (RIDDOR). The health care staff must ensure that all accidents and near misses that could have resulted in injury must be reported. These also include violent incidences such as verbal threats. Incidences such as deaths should be reported to the government (HSE, n.d.)
Other priority includes prevention of falls. The employers are expected to ensure that they protect any areas below or above the ground are protected, and if one must work above the ground, they must be protected. Use of PPE and machines such as stepladders should be used. All prevention training must be followed. The following issues must be avoided including stepping in ladder, chairs or tables. Additionally, employees must be discouraged from standing on the fork-lift truck. The healthcare providers must establish welfare facilities such as toilets, sanitary disposal facilities and washbasins (Francis, 2013).
The environment space should have sufficient space, well-lit and ventilated. Employee’s chairs must remain safe and comfortable. The environment temperature should be reasonable, at least 16 degrees Celsius for office area and three degrees lower in areas with physical work. In regions with high weather temperatures, the employers should provide local cooling systems such as fan. The healthcare facilities should establish first aid protocols (HSE, n.d.). This includes having a green first aid box, with one employee being appointed to take charge during emergencies. There should be well written notices to inform the employees on what to do during emergencies, and whom to contact. Fire precautions Regulations of 1989 must be followed. This includes putting arrangements on ways to prevent fires, raise alarm, emergency evacuations and how to use emergency evacuations. Manual handling, lifting weights and equipment maintenance should be conducted as stipulated by manual handling of operations regulations 1992 states that policies to be followed to reduce injuries associated with manual handling of things (Francis, 2013).
From the case study, the first priority is to establish safety and quality organization culture. This involves training to ensure that the all the stakeholders are taught on the most effective strategies to identify and address quality associated risky activities. Silver Meadow is a healthcare home, and therefore are most likely dealing with the elderly patients, and people in their end of life stage (Francis, 2013).
Their first priority is to safeguard these patients. Some of the strategies that can be incorporated within Silver meadow clinic include the introduction of walking aids. The rooms must be adequately lit to ensure that the patients do not have blurred vision due to too much light or due to inadequate lighting (Rasheed, Hetherington, & Irvine, 2014). Additionally, there must be enough ventilators and ensure that the floors are not slippery. All the hazards identified must be identified and labelled using symbols and signs as indicated by the EU. The use of the assistive devices must be incorporated in the healthcare facility such as use of cameras and bedside bells can really improve safety issues in the healthcare facility (Francis, 2013).
The other priority is to ensure that all safety issues are documented. All accidents and near misses must be documented and reported to help note the potential risks within the healthcare facility. Any other type of unsafe practice must be reported. These include activities such as mistreatment or verbal abuse must be reported (World Report, 2013). Patient safety must be trained to all employees, which should include training on how to help the patients with their daily living activities such as bathing, toileting, use of the catheters as well as psychological factors. They must be trained on ways to manage healthcare safety such as hand hygiene to ensure that spread of hospitalized acquired infections are not spread. The issue of proper protective equipment must be maintained, and risk assessment activities must be conducted before performing every activity (HSE, n.d.)
Task 2.1
Risk assessment refers to a careful examination of the workplace to identify hazards and risks in order to protect workers. Hazards include things that cause harms such as electricity, noise, chemicals, bickering and bullying. On the other hand, risk is refers to the chance or likelihood that a hazard will cause an injury. Complete elimination of risks is known as zero risk. The perception of risk is influenced by a person’s experiences on adverse effects, beliefs, socio- cultural backgrounds, ability to control the risks, ways of gaining information among others. Risks are characterised by its extent and nature (World report 2013).
Risk assessment comprises of five main steps; a) identification of hazards, b)determination of hazards nature and extent, c) evaluation of risks and deciding on precautions, d) recording of findings and implementation and e) reviewing of an assessment and updating of information where necessary (RCN, 2013).
To identify the hazards, the inspector should walk around the work place to check if all regulations have been met. Employees can be interviewed by their representatives on what they feel as hazards. Practical guidelines are published in HSE website, which indicates the main sources of hazards and ways to control them. To determine hazards extent and nature, each hazard must be described comprehensively, including the people that could be harmed and how they could be harmed (World report 2013). This aids in establishing the best approaches to manage and control the risks. Evaluation of risk factors includes finding ways to control the identified risks. According to regulations, one is expected to do as much as they can to protect the public. In this case, controlling of risks implies preventing access to hazards and organizing work in a manner that reduces exposure to such hazards (RCN, 2013).
Other preventive measures will include use of protective personal equipment, provision of welfare facilities and looking for an alternative that are less risky. The findings found must be written down and shared with the higher authorities. The assessment must be suitable for the work place in order to be efficient. Efficient risk assessment indicates that a proper check was done; the affected group have been identified and have dealt with the significant hazards (World report 2013). Additionally, the precautions picked must be reasonable to ensure that they maintain the risks at low levels. An efficient risk assessment is one that involves the staff and their representatives directly. For short term remedies, an easy am cheap interventions should be applied for temporary measures. Risks with worst consequences require long term solutions. This includes performing refresher training to remind the employees of their mandated responsibilities (RCN, 2013). Regular checks must be assessed to ensure that they put measures in place and that all responsibilities are clear on how the actions will be led. The last step is reviewing of the risk assessment to ensure that the organizations standards of a safe organization are maintained. New changes must be integrated in the healthcare policies, and improvements noted. Lessons learnt from near misses must be used as a guide to protect the public from harm in the future (Francis, 2013).
The information collected facilitates the development of effective care planning. The risk assessment covers manual handling. This is an essential requirement on care plan that ensures that there is safety for the residents. Persons working in each healthcare facility at one pint will have to either lift or hold something manually. To fulfil part vii of the occupational safety and health regulations, the employers must perform a risk assessment before any operation being performed manually is undertaken. The planning to minimize risks includes laying strategies that ensures that staff follows the laid down practices such as using mechanical aids when lifting, holding or carrying out activities. The staff must be trained in order to ensure that they recognize the potential risks attributable to manual handling. Training should include ways to employ good postures when lifting heavy items, use of mechanical aids when transporting heavy things. If a task exceeds personal abilities, one must seek assistance (Francis, 2013).
Environment safety is also planned effectively using information collected for risk assessment. This includes eliminating poor conditions such as slippery floors, passageway obstruction and poor lighting. The work area must be maintained tidy and clean. Signs must be indicated clearly on hazards such as slippery floors, spillage of water among others. Other risk assessments information informing care planning includes health issues, maintenance of security, emergencies, accident prevention, fire safety and dealing with infection.
Task 2.2
The employers and directors of a workplace are mandated by the Health and Safety at work Act 1974 to design and keep a revised copy of written statement of health and safety policy. These policy statements should summarize the organization of the healthcare facility in terms of manpower and systems for policy implementation. The statement must include the names of the managers and directors that are statutory holders. The policy statement and any revision of the statement must be communicated to the employees through notification, issue of hardcopy of the policy and reinforced further using posters. The policy document should be comprehensive indicating each person’s responsibility, training session required and way to properly induct the new employees (World Report, 2013).
The healthcare policy generally consists of three parts; a) A general statement of the policy intent) Organization (employees and their responsibilities including their chains of command), and c) Arrangement of the healthcare (its procedures and systems). These includes issues such as safe systems at work place, safety training, environmental control, Machine area guarding, noise control, safety of radiation, fire safety and prevention.
Manual handling policy is important and compulsory in order to improve care planning and to reduce the hazard risks to employees and the services users (World Report, 2013). When working in healthcare facility, people are expected to lift or handle patients with limited mobility with care. Part VII of the occupational Safety and health regulation states that employees must perform risk assessment before conducting any operation manually. The negative impacts of manual handling technique could result into staff injuries, increase number of near misses and accidents. In some cases, fines, litigation and penalties are can be issued to compensate for the service user harmed by manual handling. The employee’s resources are lost through paying to employee’s sickness related to work injuries. The increased absence of employees affects the productivity of the work place (Rasheed, Hetherington, & Irvine, 2014).
The policy states that these risks can be minimized if the work place practices are laid down and emphasized by the employers. Additionally, mechanical aid must be used as much as possible when lifting, carrying or holding incapacitated patients. The employees must be trained on ways to recognize the risk associated with manual handling. Employing good posture in holding and lifting the person must be applied. This aids in minimizing excessive forces when bending, or twisting of the arms, neck or wrists. When using mechanical aids to transport and to transfer people, the correct operation procedures must be used. The employee should seek assistance from supervisors when undertaking tasks that they feel it exceeds their personal ability. In this regard, training sessions should be provided. The positive impact of manual handling policy includes reversing the aforementioned negative impacts. This improves business turnover, less work related accidents and low insurance covers (Department of Health, 2013a).
The environmental safety policy states that environmental conditions such as slippery floors, insufficient lighting, poor ventilation, obstruction of the passageway and stairways are some of the factors that contribute many accidents in the healthcare. Therefore, the environment must be sufficiently lit using natural and artificial lighting. There should be no worn-out carpets, rugs or trailing of electrical wires. The floors must remain clear from obstruction. The negative impact of poor environmental safety is that it increases risks for falls, slips and trips to the healthcare providers and the service users. Poor environmental monitoring systems such as burglary proof, intruders alarm and other assistive technologies exposes service users and employees to hazards (RCN, 2013).
To reduce these risks the work place environment must be kept tidy. Warning signs such as wet floors, slippery floors must be put up. Healthcare facility must use non slippery materials as much as possible. The area should be adequately lit, ventilates and the passageway route must be left clear from any source of obstruction. Wet floors must be dried as much as possible and trailing flexes rolled up and stored safely. Additionally, it is everyone’s responsibilities to develop a safe environment to ensure persons safety. They must be aware of the potential hazards by assessing and addressing the sources of risks. These must also be reported to the relevant authority (Rasheed, Hetherington, & Irvine, 2014).
Silver Meadow home care facility deals with elderly and patients in their end of life. This implies that one of the activities in this healthcare facility that would put into question the health care facility is handling and lifting of the patients who are vulnerable and susceptible to injuries (Rasheed, Hetherington, & Irvine, 2014).There are handling and lifting policies that have been developed with the aim of ensuring that patients are lifted safely, without posing them to risks (Francis, 2013).These policies act as framework of guidelines that are aimed at instilling the best management activities in every activity that involves the lifting and handling of the patient. These policies instil confidence in an organization, consequently improving the cost of return. The core standards of these policies are to ensure that there is training as well as risk assessment (Department of Health, 2013a).
Laxity in following these policies of handling and lifting of the patients could lead to fatal injuries. Overlooking even the tiniest aspect of care could lead to more patient injuries and even death. Other barrier that causes non adherence to the lifting and handling is inadequate information and miscommunication (RCN, 2013). These two factors results in in competencies especially when delivering care. The healthcare facility must establish the appropriate standards which are useful in guiding the healthcare personnel on the expected standards of care, thus reducing the incidences of injuries as well as accidents (Francis, 2013).
There is need to train the Silver Meadows staff on ways to manage the various comorbidities of care as outlined by the patient lifting strategies such as manual handling policies as well as standards of 1992. These strategies ensure that the equipment is maintained in their right standards (Social Care, n.d.). The machines and equipment are meant to lower the workload of staff, but if they are not appropriately maintained, it leads to loss of life. Maintained handling and lifting machinery results to reduced cost of care and improves the quality of care, and improves the reputation of Silver Meadow (World Report, 2013).
Task 2.3
The healthcare facilities face many healthcare dilemmas. For instance, the issue of ethical dilemma, which describes the tricky and complex decisions that must be made by the healthcare staff, where there have to choose the solution between two conflicting issues (World Report, 2013). A dilemma is a situation where a choice must be established between two or more alternative course of action. The main ethical dilemmas in the work place includes assessing if it is acceptable to lie, and how autonomy can be balanced with the need of protecting patient from harm. The victims of ethical dilemmas in the workplace include professionals and care workers providing care to people in the hospitals, residential facilities or in care settings (Rasheed, Hetherington, & Irvine, 2014). The main reasons for the ethical dilemmas include decreased level of capacity, personality traits, and vulnerability associated to memory, physical frailty and disorientation.
Solving ethical dilemmas requires critical judgment. For instance, freedom of choice and freedom of walking can be challenged by ethical considerations of the patient’s wellbeing and safety for others. There are specific guidelines and laws that set a framework by pointing to ways in which these ethical issues can be resolved. They rarely provide definitive answers to these specific dilemmas. For example, despite the health improvements associated with the use of technology, there are concerns raised by services users about caring for people living with dementia which are associated to stigma, privacy, and concerns that the use of these devices will replace rather add value to the patient. Use of technology has an effect on persons autonomy as they may feel controlled, devalued and under surveillances. The healthcare must guide the patient by emphasising that it is not a substitute to good care, enhancing care that the healthcare provider has to offer (World Report, 2013).
Other dilemmas occur when a person lacks the capacity to make appropriate decision. The patient autonomy, wellbeing along with the carer’s interests should be considered when deciding the use or disuse of technology or a system. The factors that must be considered include patient autonomy i.e. the patient concerns, opinions and views. The benefits of using the technology and the ways the carer’s interests are affected if the technology is not used.
Taking risks part of our daily lives (World Report, 2013). It is important for the healthcare to do as much as they can to improve the patients quality of life. The intervention chosen must have an absolute minimum risks. In some cases, the minimum risks will involves forgoing the benefits of freedom, which could potentially have detrimental effects on the patient autonomy and overall wellbeing. However, it is important to perform risk assessment to weigh the balance between the potential risks and benefits of the proposed intervention (World Report, 2013).
The healthcare providers should select the intervention with least risks involved to gain particular benefits. The other issue is that of disclosure and non-disclosure. Telling truth highlights the challenges attained when deciding the course of action. This is because the healthcare providers are required to avoid distress and simultaneously maintain patient’s autonomy. Non-disclosure of patient’s safety issues erodes patient trust and undermines professional integrity. The ethical dilemma arises in situations where the patient can suffer from anger and distress caused by the truth. Due to person’s cognitive deficits, it would be more humane for the healthcare providers to evade or give partial answers to some questions (World Report, 2013).
The issue of restraint also arises as it affects the person’s freedom. In some cases, restraint arises because of safety measures such as preventing them from falling, or for safety of others especially if a person is perceived as a threat. The most common form of restraint used in healthcare is physical restraint where straps and lap belts are used to control the patient is behaving aggressively. This is an ethical dilemma as it significantly affects the emotional risks and vicious cycle. This could lead to more serious impacts such as accidents and pressure sores. The mental capacity Act governs that restraint should be done only to prevent harm (Social Care, n.d.).
The most common dilemma in Silver Meadow is more aligned with the patient autonomy. This is because the patient choices could be putting the patient at high risk, which lives the staff with no other obligation other than violating the patients wish. However, in such scenarios, it is important to explore with the patient the most effective care, merits and demerits, to convince them on quality care that is most effective (Kennedy, 2013).
Task 2.4
Noncompliance of the quality standards in healthcare are associated with numerous demerits such as permanent disabilities or even loss of life. Noncompliance implies that the working environment is not safe and the workforces are prone to accidents and injuries. This lowers the workforce morale and id associated with low productivity (World Report, 2013). Research indicates that the work related injuries in the healthcare facilities have continued to reduce. This is associated with better reporting of the incidences, thus new strategies are achieved. However, it cannot be denied that there are some laxities in the healthcare system. This is due to poor monitoring of the healthcare facility, reduced staff training and low emphasis on quality care (Social Care, n.d).
At the organizational level, the noncompliance to the study of quality as well as safety regulations could result in loss of operating contracts which is associated with reduced trust in the organization. It can also lead to ruined business reputation of the healthcare facility, where the employees feel lost and not proud to be associated with the healthcare facility (World Report, 2013). This results into high turnover rates. Thus, the healthcare facility must impose more strict measures to ensure that safety standards are followed to the later, and where a staff fails to follow these regulations, they face stringent fines or even terminated from their place of work (RCN, 2014).
Task 3.1
Health and safety practises are monitored and reviewed by federal enforcement agencies. The United States government has put in place significant measures to guarantee that there is indeed proper actualization of medical professionalism and the reduction of risk in procedure, health care environments as well as the employees in these environments. It is crucial that there be regular inspection of health facilities to ascertain and assess cleanliness standards in health care centres in the United States. It is also vital that there be regular check up on all medical professionals to ascertain that they are within the right frame of thinking and can go about their work professionally. This is done through compulsory association exams and psychic evaluations.
The monitoring activities at Silver Meadows should also include auditing of the safety measures program is important as it enables identify the gap, and in identifying methods that incorporates the obligations as well as the legal standards of the healthcare facility (World Report, 2013). Examples of the monitoring strategies include the Safety Monitoring System (SMS). The Safety Monitoring System is a protocol that assesses aspects of safety based on risk factors associated with hospital assets such as the state of the beds, the floor and the number of persons working and admitted at the hospital. This gives a picture of the state of the hospital at the time.
By conducting effective internal evaluations, hospitals and other institutions such as Silver Meadows are able to know the state of their staff and assets at all time. Human resources departments need to be especially on the lookout for certain changes in procedure or behaviour among the employees. This makes it a concern for all to try and achieve such milestones.
Task 3.2
Health policies promote a favourable environment at the work place due to significant investment in the welfare of the people in the hospital facilities, research centres and facilities where medical testing and drug equipment are abound. Research is important even in the enactment of the very policies applied to an institution for they need to be institution-specific. However, the major impacts of these policies often result in more revenues for the health canters, better working conditions for the nurses, doctors and other assistants as well as minimizing the risk of contamination. Contamination is a serious concern at hospitals because there are always risks associated with airborne and vector-borne diseases. The hospital is a very potential threat areas for infections and re-infections thus health and safety policies do minimize these risks a great deal.
The Silver Meadow facility is responsible in exerting safety culture within the organization. The leaders are the role models and must remain knowledgeable and confident about the safety issues. This way, they lead the healthcare facility by example, and solve these conflicts amicably. One of the strategies is through the establishment of teamwork in the society (World Report, 2013). This boosts the staff Morales and increases the productivity of a facility. This improves staff retention, which increases productivity and low cost. For instance, the Silver Meadow must ensure that risk assessments are conducted in all lifting materials, to evaluate the risks that can be associated with these lifting materials. Integrating the safety culture with staff will ensure that they assess safety issues, thus the service users and the service providers remain safe as the organization will seek for the most effective strategy to address potential risks identified (Rasheed, Hetherington, & Irvine, 2014).
Task 3.3
As a health care professional, one has to be very cognisant with the environment they are in. This helps them assist in developing the needs of the organization and guaranteeing that all measures in safety and health are observed. It is practically impossible for a healthcare professional to be involved with fellow nurses or doctors without impacting on their health and safety concerns. A possible area where a lot of investment in human resource needs to be done is the area of counselling. Counselling is a very important aspect of the medical profession. Doctors are human as well and their health should be taken to be as a major concern as well. This is why counselling should establish social, emotional and economic challenges these people face.
From the study, I have noted few areas that I thought were the wisest steps, yet were the most risky activity. From this study, the importance of evidence based research is emphasised, which must be followed always (World Report, 2013). Healthcare employees have a legal responsibility to take care of the health and safety of the others that may have been affected by their activities. For instance, a healthcare professional with a certain disorder that may put the rest of the personnel at the hospital in risky situations is obliged to report this case and have it assessed. The healthcare staff should use systems and follow procedures correctly. It is also the staff responsibility to report flaws and presence of gaps in the system that could compromise health and safety of an individual and others. The staffs share their responsibility with their employers to ensure safety of all people using the services.
It is crucial that when one healthcare professional notices a concern in a colleague that they report this concern promptly. Reporting issues as they are noticed is not a way to victimize but to help those who may need some sort of help. There should thus be a strong welfare community within a healthcare centre to ensure that at the end of the day, it is only the things that one cannot notice that are left out. Taking safety in healthcare to be a serious concern does help mitigate a lot of risks associated with medical and healthcare environments. This is why not only should it be considered a necessity but as an obligation.
Conclusion
Most of the challenges faced in healthcare are associated with communication processes. It is beneficial to explore the process of communication to understand on how it affects the healthcare stakeholders in delivery of their services. Most of the healthcare staffs do not even understand the legal frameworks that govern the process of transferring information within the healthcare and the social care settings. It is important to understand that communication within the organization should lie within the context of the healthcare job role, and the principle of confidentiality of information must be supported. The Silver Meadow facility is responsible in exerting safety culture within the organization. The leaders are the role models and must remain knowledgeable about the safety issues. This way, they lead the healthcare facility by example, and solve these conflicts amicably. One of the strategies is through the establishment of teamwork in the society. This boosts the staff esteem and increases the productivity of a facility.
Communicating in Health and Social Care Institutions
Communicating in Health and Social Care Institutions
Order Instructions:
INSTRUCTIONS FOR UNIT 1 sent to email
SAMPLE ANSWER
Communicating in Health and Social Care Institutions
Communication forms the basis of interactions and coordination in health care. Health care professionals have to communicate with their patients, among themselves, as well as with the hospital management. On their part, hospitals have to communicate with their staff and patients and also interact with the external environment. The efficiency of running health care institutions is dependent on the effectiveness of communication systems. Usually, service delivery is unsatisfactory if proper communication fails to take place. Patients may not understand instructions, clinicians may misinterpret directions, and hospitals may lose important information. Basically, communication in health and social care organizations involves concepts such as communication channels, policies, agents, services, devices, and message type, interaction mode, and security protocol. Each of these concepts is mostly determined by the organizational structure in specific institutions. When the communication system is faulty, organizations experience inconveniences and hardships in their practice. So as to avoid such inconveniencies, facilities must explore technologically advanced tools, optimize interactions and discussions among professionals and interdisciplinary personnel, and avoid risks associated with poor communication. On their part, health and social care practitioners should possess particular skills to have efficient communications with their patients. This paper gives an in-depth look into the application of communication skills in clinical and social care by health professionals. Later, the paper discusses factors that influence the application of such skills in the two settings. Lastly, it discusses ways in which health and social care institutions apply technology in their communication systems for enhanced efficiency.
1.0 Use of Communication Skills in Health and Social Care Institutions
Communication skills that clinicians and social care practitioners apply during their practice influence the ability of patients to understand, follow, and adhere to recommendations and instructions. For instance, studies indicate that patients are better placed to manage chronic ailments and administer preventive self-care when clinicians deliver information effectively (Institute of Healthcare Communication, 2011). Practitioners use communication skills in different ways when ensuring that they communicate effectively with patients.
1.1 Application of Communication Theories to Health and Social Care
The theory of communication as a multi-way process applies perfectly to the health care se up. The theory divides communication into two major concepts, verbal and non-verbal communication (Chaaban & Sezgin, 2015, Pg. 190). The theory describes the verbal part as the words, sentences, and phrases that communicators use. On the hand, the non-verbal part includes four elements. The four are the standing, kinesics, paralinguistic, and prosodic elements (Corcoran, 2013, Pg. 8). The prosodic part includes the rhythm and intonation used in communication. In health and social care, for instance, the speed of communication alters the extent to which message recipients comprehend communications. This concept is particularly important when clinicians interact with patients. I will illustrate this with my personal experience at Gracefield Hospital. I once used to be fast in directing patients until a time when I had directed one of my patients to the laboratory only for him to head directly to the pharmacy. He queued in the pharmacy section and when I spotted him, I asked him whether he had gone to the laboratory. I learnt from his reply that he did not get my directions, and since the pharmacy is the most obvious destination for patients who have seen their physicians, he just assumed that I had directed him to the place. Upon my reflection, I realized that I was too fast and the patient was not that quick in grasping my directions. This was a practical experience of inefficiencies caused by poor communication skills as warned in the aspect of prosodic element of the theory of multi-way communication. My poor skills had resulted in a waste of time for the client. The other non-verbal cues in the theory of multi-way communication are kinesics, standing, and paralinguistic features which refer to body language, appearance, and use of expressions such as “ahhh” respectively. It is common to find patients and staff members describe how attractive or unattractive other people are in their communication on the basis of these non-verbal features. On their part, verbal expressions as described in the theory of multi-way communication refer to the message itself. For example, if clinicians keep using phrases rather than exact words that they mean, patients may find it hard to get the message. The other relevant model in social and health care communication is the theory of self-disclosure. The model explains interpersonal communication in health care delivery systems (Bylund, Peterson, & Cameron, 2012, Pg. 263). The theory centers on the level of interactions that health practitioners enjoy with their clients. For this model, unlike in the multi-way theory, communication is mainly perceived from the perspective of the patient. When clinicians earn the trust of their clients, they may need to respond by expressing certain features in their communications. For instance, they may need to express emotional attachment to their clients. They would do so by the choice of words that they use. From a personal experience, I express affection to patients who disclose their private life to me and by so doing, I earn more trust from patients and the move enhances my efficiency in attending patients. So as to improve my communication skills, I should emphasize on the elements in the multi-way communication as well as the ones in the Theory of Self-Disclosure.
1.2 Using Communication Skills in Health and Social Care
Clinicians’ ability to apply communications skills to practice has numerous benefits. Actually, communication is a determinant of the quality of services that professionals offer to their patients. Personally, I boost the quality of my services by conducting open-ended enquiries, reflective listening, and developing emotional connections when necessary. In so doing, I am able to address the specific or unique needs that each patient would present. Generally, application of effective communication skills enhances the accuracy of services such as diagnoses and treatment. It also enhances patient medication-adherence and safety and promotes patient and family satisfaction. Additionally, the practice minimizes chances of malpractice, and it enables health and social care practitioners to address the needs of their patients effectively hence increasing the quality of their services and so their demand. However, so as to have optimal communication outcomes in health care, practitioners need setting the pace from the beginning. Therefore, they should not just focus in areas such as the directions they give to their patients during treatment, but also on the information that patients offer to them during diagnoses. It is for this reason that they should consider a variety of theories when conducting the overall care process. Actually, the basis of health and service care is interviewing patients during diagnosis. If clinicians apply skills that would enable them to conduct interviews efficiently, they would collect all the essential information. Personally, I prioritize on collecting all the necessary information by exploiting skills that stabilize patients such as being able to minimize interruptions. I also promote medication adherence by ensuring that patients understand what they are supposed to do. When purposing to promote patient satisfaction, clinicians should employ skills that convince their clients that they are handling their problems with the necessary weight. For instance, they could let their patients know that the entire patient care team is involved and it is dedicated to address their specific demands. Also, clinicians should show that they understand the history of their clients so as to convince them that their services are satisfactory. Clinicians should also use communication to avoid risks and malpractices. Huntington and Kuhn noted that improper communication strategies are a major cause of risks and malpractices (cited in Institute of Healthcare Communication, 2011).
1.3 Methods of Dealing with Inappropriate Interpersonal Communication in Health and Social Care Facilities
Usually, communication in health care involves multiple parties and it could be termed as interpersonal. For Gracefield Hospital, clinicians such as nurses, doctors, pharmacists, therapists, dieticians, and others would need to interact effectively for them to handle the needs of their wide range of patients efficiently. However, there may be instances when such communication could be disrupted. Application of interpersonal communication theories would be a crucial approach in overcoming such challenges. For communication between practitioners, interpersonal communication strategies would include dialogues and the use of interactive channels such as office phones and computers. Gracefield Hospital enhances dialogues by adopting interactive communication systems. Failures of communication between health and social care providers and their clients are also risky in patient care processes. At Gracefield Hospital, some of these hardships are commonly generated by language barriers, differences in education levels, disparities associated with culture and social practices, as well personal matters such as privacy, and time constraints. In most cases, hospitals and social care institutions should address particular challenges when designing their communication systems. For instance, they would employ interpreters where instances of language barrier are likely to hinder communication. So as to overcome barriers of communication associated with differences in education, practitioners should use simple language and explain concepts in simplified manners. It would also be important for facilities to encourage their employees to extend culturally-sensitive care so as to avoid misunderstandings between them and their patients. Also, institutions should ensure that practitioners adhere to ethics of care such as those expecting them to maintain confidentiality and privacy when entrusted with patient information. It would also be important for hospitals to have enough facilities and personnel so as to maximize the instructions of patients and care providers. Usually, shortage of resources and inadequacy of healthcare staff pressure practitioners to hasten their care creating time constraints (Chertoff, 2015, Pg. 2). Provision of adequate resources would facilitate interpersonal communications and raise the overall quality of services.
1.4 Use of Strategies that Support Users of Health and Social Care Services with Specific Communication Needs
Patients present different communication needs to health and social care providers. It is important for clinicians to address the needs of specific people so as to ensure that they accurately get their messages for optimal patient treatment and satisfaction outcomes (Ha & Longnecker, 2010, Pg. 38). Specific needs could range from physical, emotional, and psychological disabilities as well as economic, social, and geographical considerations. For instance, healthcare facilities would require having sign language experts so as to address the communication needs of the deaf. For the blind, practitioners should consider extending services such as helping patients use assistive devices and guiding them to different facilities within the institutions. Such practices would facilitate care delivery by enhancing the effectiveness of communication. For people with learning and language disabilities, institutions should consider approaches such as using images, non-verbal cues, translators, or family members. For the case of Gracefield Hospital, translators are indispensible considering that the institution serves people from backgrounds of all manners. Economic, social, and cultural backgrounds are also crucial when addressing patients’ communication needs. Personally, I ensure that my communication strategies are efficient by offering patients an opportunity to choose their preferred interaction strategies during follow ups. I also ensure that I only use gestures that I am sure that they would not be misinterpreted in different cultures.
2.1 How Values and Cultural Factors Influence Communication in Health and Social Care setups
Usually, culture makes people adopt certain values and beliefs that may influence communication. It is a critical requirement by ethical guidelines that practitioners offer culturally-sensitive care to patients by respecting their beliefs and cultural dignity (Zahedi, Sanjari, Aala, Peymani, Aramesh, Parsapour, & Dastgerdi, 2013, Pg. 1). In the case of Gracefield Hospital, for instance, clinicians occasionally deal with people who insist on particular practices concerning their health. For instance, there are cultures that would restrict men from offering or communicating gynecological care to women. Gynecology patients from such cultures may decline to communicate with male practitioners, and the overall care process would be impaired. Whether such beliefs are reasonable or not, it is beyond health care professionals to overlook the preferences of their patients. Instead of initiating cultural conflict, Gracefield Hospital encourages practitioners to explore possible alternatives to maximize patient satisfaction. From my experience of cultural disparities that patient present and my knowledge on communication skills, I encourage patients at Gracefield Hospital to express any concerns that they may have. I also educate them on the importance of avoiding beliefs that could limit their access to health services.
2.2 Impact of Legislation, Codes, and Charters on Communication in Health and Social Care Setup
Health care services and professional practice is subject to legislative regulations. Clinicians and social care workers must adhere to laws, guidelines, codes, charters, and standards that are structured so as to discourage malpractices. In healthcare, each discipline has specific regulations developed by their respective boards, unions, and other regulatory agencies. They include codes of ethical conduct, standards of practice, codes of professional conduct, and of course the national constitution. Gracefield Hospital adheres to the UK regulatory requirements including parliamentary acts. For instance, the Hospital relies on Data Protection Act which was developed by the legislature in 1998 when operating its communication systems. The act requires that organizations only use patient information for the primary purpose which their owners are notified about, and therefore, it is a critical pillar in preventing malpractices and conflicts in hospitals and social care facilities (Gov.UK, 2015a). Since health care providers collect much personal information from their clients, they should handle it responsibly to avoid exposing what would be contrary to the expectations of their clients. Personally when undertaking my day-to-day duties in the wards of Gracefield Hospital, I come across patients who warn me against disclosing certain information to other people. So as to come up with an acceptable decision, I usually refer to professional codes, principles, policies, and guidelines. Generally, laws and regulations promote patient confidentiality. Health and social care practitioners are always expected to take caution when handling patient information. Additionally, the law requires that clinicians inform their clients how specifically they intend to use their information (Gov.UK, 2015). In my newly entrusted responsibility, I would inform my fellow care providers about specific laws governing communication matters in health care. Again, I would suggest measures that would promote patient knowledge about their rights in managing their information. Through such measures, I would also inform patients that Gracefield Hospital is sensitive to their confidentiality and privacy, and at the same time, the facility is obliged to inform them accordingly.
2.3 Effectiveness of Organizational Systems and Policies in Promoting Good Practice in Communication
Organizational systems are critical determinants of the manner in which health and social care professionals handle communication matters (Kodjo, 2009, Pg. 58). There are certain practices that organizations would encourage or discourage, and by so doing, they influence the nature of communication behaviors that prevails. For instance, if organizations tolerate practices such as ignoring privacy and confidentiality concerns raised by patients, then practitioners would increasingly engage in the habit (Entwistle, Carter, Cribb, & McCaffery, 2010, Pg. 742). Eventually, such communication systems would have impaired rather than facilitated patient-clinician interactions. The current reputable image of Gracefield Hospital could be attributed to factors such as having an excellent communication system. The system allows the management to see to it that clinicians adhere to policies and codes of practice throughout their interactions with patients. It is however important to note that the system at Gracefield hospital does not frustrate care providers. Actually, the communication system is designed in a way that it protects patients, and at the same time, it crates enough room for clinicians to extend high-quality services. Generally, social and health care practitioners are expected to be conversant with laws, policies, and regulations governing communication for their institutions to prosper. Failure of practitioners to observe such laws is a common source of legal conflicts and institutions end up having their image tarnished. Institutions that would be aiming at advancing to more recognizable heights would not afford legal conflicts emanating from improper handling of patient communication. Instead, they would prioritize on perfection, conduct thorough spot-checking, and monitor their communication approaches to evade conflicts with their clients. Gracefield Hospital looks forward to being upgraded to a foundation, and therefore, its staff should practice in a way that would avoid situations that would compromise its integrity and reputation.
2.4 Ways of Improving Communication in Health and Social Care Settings
There are different approaches that organizations could take in bettering their communication strategies (Ha & Longnecker, 2010, Pg. 41). Interestingly, communication is one of them. The approach entails equipping practitioners with professional communication skills through training, capacity building, educational seminars, and so on. For international hospitals, the management should encourage the staff to learn common languages such as English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Germany, Indian, Russian, and others depending on the regions from which they fetch most of their customers. Having basic skills in multiple languages would not only make professionals and their institutions operate efficiently, but it would also attract people in the sense that they would feel a psychological sense of belonging. Likewise, disabled persons such as the deaf would feel secure if they visit institutions where their type of communication is appreciated. In cases where institutions may not necessarily train their practitioners to learn skills such as sign language, an effective alternative would definitely be employing interpreters for such purposes. Gracefield Hospital, so to illustrate, has a specific subdivision in the communication department concerned with translating information presented in languages other than English. As such, the Hospital would rarely delay services to patients regardless of its customers’ origin. Other important approach that health and social care institutions should consider when focusing on improving communication strategies between care providers and patients include encouraging basic practices such as listening and paying attention to the meaning of the information that patients disclose. Practitioners should possess rich listening skills for them to interact effectively with their clients. On the same line, institutions should discourage distractions such as making personal calls in the middle of interviewing patients. From a different angle, organizations should better their communication systems by ensuring that their staff members are conversant with different cultures. For instance, they should know that cultures vary on their perception of certain gestures, paralinguistic features, speaking tone, as well as certain lines of interrogations such as those that could sound as prying into one’s personal life. Having such knowledge on communication would place them at a position where they can deliver care effectively. Also, hospitals should update their staff members on information concerning policy changes from the legislative, boards, and union perspectives. Such updates are necessary to ensure that clinicians and social health care providers adjust their communication strategies so that they adhere to regulations.
1 Accessing and Using Standard ICT Software Packages in Supporting Practice in Health and Social Care Setups
Perron et al. defined ICT as modern tools employed in patient care to store, convey, or manipulate data (Perron, Taylor, Glass, & Margerum-Leys, 2010, Pg. 67). The tools influence the careers of social health care workers just as they influence those of clinicians. Practitioners require adapting to the technological environment by expressing competencies in using these tools. There are both technical skills as well as abilities such as being well-placed to collaborate with other health care professionals. In some cases, practitioners in England learn the use of ICT tools through online databases such as Social Care Online (Scie, 2008). At Gracefield Hospital, one of the facilities that employ ICT is the Common Assessment Framework (CAF). The technique is ICT-enabled, more so from the perspectives of case assessment recording and data sharing. The basis of CAF is technologically-assisted reporting systems (Holmes, 2014). Usually, the technique enables the involved professionals to assess the needs of minor patients with efficiency (Hampshire County Council, 2012). The administration of the tool includes having a lead practitioner and a team of health care professionals (Department for Education and Skills, 2015). Professionals share information through online portals. It should be noted that the involved team members may not necessarily be in the hospital practice, but they could be in social care as well. In the UK, there are specific guidelines, policies, and performance management information that direct the use of CAF. Generally, for hospitals and social care institutions to fully employ CAF, they need having reliable infrastructure with a competent IT system, efficient information support systems, and also equip their personnel with the requisite skills.
3.2 Benefits of Using ICT in Health and Social Care to Service Users, Health Practitioners, and Institutions
The application of ICT in healthcare has numerous benefits. The technology enhances the speed, reliability, standardization, and overall efficiency of care delivery. Healthcare professionals can monitor their patients remotely and handle complications with their requisite urgency. Electronic health records (EHR) are of special significance when considering the benefits of ICT instruments in health care. The devices facilitate care delivery by allowing practitioners to instantly access all patient history necessary for diagnosis and treatment. Additionally, these devices allow clinicians to consult each other and seek clarifications when necessary. Usually, it is only authorized persons who access patient information through EHR systems. This is enabled by having the system requiring login information which is only available to healthcare personnel (Fernandez-Aleman, Senor, Lozoya, & Toval, 2013, Pg. 541). Therefore, unless clinicians act irregularly, patient information is held intact by the use of the technologically developed systems. EHR devices also promote patient safety by minimizing chances of errors. The systems overcome the challenges of inaccuracies associated with unclear representation of data. Also important to consider is the property of the devices enabling the consolidation of various types of patient information including physical diagnoses, laboratory results, pharmacy records, financial records, insurance services and others. When such information is consolidated, clinicians find it easier to come up with decisions. On their part, health and social care organizations find it economical to use EHR systems as opposed to the traditional paperwork practices. Institutions do not have to keep collections of as many papers as they used to do prior to advances in ICT. ICT overcomes the challenge of losing information by misplacing papers or by having books get damaged and also saves space for institutions. Hospitals are able to maintain orderliness and their management gets improved. For the case of Gracefield, EHR devices have promoted general practices by allowing clinicians to instantly access patient information such as blood pressure, breathing rate, past medication history, temperature, and other crucial tests. Such information would have taken time to access had there not been the technological instruments.
3.3 Impact of Legal Considerations Concerning the Use of ICT on Health and Social Care Systems
The application of ICT in health care is regulated by several legal policies. Such policies are instituted so as to control malpractices and safeguard the general wellness of patients. In the UK, the law requires practitioners to use ICT meaningfully (Adler-Milstein, Ronchi, Cohen, Winn, & Jha, 2014, Pg. 112). For instance, it is unexpected of clinicians to use patient information to establish personal or business links with them. Again, practitioners are not expected to compromise patient confidentiality and safety by placing information in places where unnecessary parties may find access. The law in Britain does not tolerate malpractices associated with ICT. Indeed, there is an established Act addressing misuse of computers. The Computer Misuse Act was developed in 1990 and it defines inappropriate uses of ICT as a prosecutable crime. The Act points out actions such as hacking of information, unauthorized access to information, deliberate moves to alter data among other practices as unconstitutional (Gov.UK, 2015b). While the law does not limit the application of ICT in service provision, it is tough on those who seize the opportunity to cause harm. The law explains penalties imposed on culprits of ICT crime, and the punitive measures include custody and fines (“Penalties”, 2015). Definitely, the British law protects patients and therefore impacts positively on health and social care. Without the law, there would be cases of malicious exposure of patient information on public sites such as social media. Usually, non-adherence to the law leads to poor patient outcomes, unmet patient expectations, high chances of legal conflicts, and a bad reputation for institutions. Gracefield Hospital prioritizes on responsible use of patient information and practitioners who would use ICT irresponsibly would face severe punishments. The hospital’s emphasis on appropriate use of ICT has contributed to its desirable reputation.
Conclusion
Communication is an important tool in running health and social care facilities. It is the basis of interactions and coordination in health and social care. Health care providers should apply vital communication skills for them to deliver services effectively. The theory of multi-way communication and that of self-disclosure are essential when addressing communication issues in healthcare. There are various ways through which institutions can better their communication systems. They include training their personnel, and employing professional translators. Being in the heart of London, Gracefield Hospital stands a chance to serve people of varied backgrounds, and translators are indispensible for efficiency running of the institutions. By enhancing its communication system, the hospital will maintain its high profile, earn more credit, and be upgraded to a foundation. However, the hospital would face risks of having its image tarnished if its staff members fail to observe the law and ethics of practice. Non-adherence to the law, regulations, and policies would attract legal technicalities, and the integrity of the hospital would be compromised.
References
Adler-Milstein, J., Ronchi, E., Cohen, G. R., Winn, L. A. P., & Jha, A. K. (2014). Benchmarking health IT among OECD countries: better data for better policy. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA, 21(1), 111–116.
Bylund, C. L., Peterson, E. B., & Cameron, K. A. (2012). A practitioner’s guide to interpersonal communication theory: An overview and exploration of selected theories. Patient Education and Counseling, 87(3), 261–267.
Chaaban, A. & Sezgin, A. (2015). Multi-way communications: an information theoretic perspective. Foundations and Trends in Communications and Information Theory, 12(3), 185-371.
Chertoff, J. (2015). The evolving physician-patient relationship: equal partnership, more responsibility. Insight Medical Publishing Group, 23(1), 1-3.
Corcoran, N. (2013). Communicating health: strategies for health promotion. London: SAGE.
Entwistle, V. A., Carter, S. M., Cribb, A., & McCaffery, K. (2010). Supporting Patient Autonomy: The Importance of Clinician-patient Relationships. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 25(7), 741–745. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-010-1292-2
Fernandez-Aleman, J., Senor, I., Lozoya, P., & Toval, A. (2013). Security and privacy in electronic health records: A systematic literature review. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 46(3), 541-562.
Holmes, L. (2014). The Common Assessment Framework: the impact of the lead professional on families and professionals as part of a continuum of care in England. John Wiley & Sons, 2014. Doi: 10.1111/cfs.12174.
Perron, B. E., Taylor, H. O., Glass, J. E., & Margerum-Leys, J. (2010). Information and Communication Technologies in social work. Advances in Social Work, 11(2), 67–81.
Zahedi, F., Sanjari, M., Aala, M., Peymani, M., Aramesh, K., Parsapour, A., … Dastgerdi, M. V. (2013). The Code of Ethics for Nurses. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 42(1), 1–8.
We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!
Health and safety is always a crucial aspect that poses a concern to everyone with regards to day-to-day affairs. In health and social care settings, especially care homes for the elderly health and safety remains a fundamental consideration for all law enforcement agencies as well as practitioners. This makes the importance of continuous monitoring in addition to reviewing of health as well as legislations and safety policies’ implementation for health as well as social care workplace undisputable and this has been succinctly discussed and explained in this assignment. According to Graham & Steven (2008) this is attributable to the fact that, good health and safety of care home residents is the key to their happiness something which has made the management and staff of home care workplaces to be cautious enough in managing health and safety issues. As a result, health protective agencies have been emphasizing on the implementation of appropriate policies, systems, and procedures for health and safety in all health as well as social care settings to alleviate hazards. The context of this assignment will provide a clear view of policies, systems, and practices and their effect in the promotion of safety in health and social care home in the perspective of Silver Meadows Care Home. From the perspective of health and social care home, employees, patients and their relatives or visitors ought to be protected from hazards. Therefore, in health and social care working environment, the management, staff as well as individual patients have the right to participate in implementing health and safety plans for the benefit of all those involved.
This assignment intends to discuss and evaluate the necessary health and safety policies, systems, procedures, and practices in accordance with legislative requirements as well as possible solutions and the associated dilemmas based on the case study of Silver Meadows Care Home. Three major tasks are covered in this assignment. Firstly, the implementation of policies, systems, procedures, and practices aimed to communicate health as well as safety information; responsibilities of health and social care home management and staff in managing health and safety; as well as an analysis of appropriate health and safety priorities of case study health and social care home. Secondly, risk assessment and the importance of obtained information in health and social care planning; analysis of a particular aspect concerned with health and safety policy; as well as dilemmas that are encountered in implementing health as well as safety policies and systems in addition to potential effect of non-compliance with legislations concerned with health and safety. Finally, the process of how to monitor and review of health aa well as safety policies, systems, procedures, and practices and their effectiveness in promoting safe culture and a healthy workplace as well as evaluation of personal contribution.
TASK 1
Health is without any doubt the most important concern for everyone, and safety is inseparable from health service. As a result, this has been the key reason why various policies and laws have been formulated concerning health and safety with regards to health and social care working environments. Discussion of the details is presented in the sections below:
Task 1: (a) Implementation of Policies Systems, Procedures, and Practices for Communicating Information on Health and Safety
In conventional health care as well as safety settings communication usually involve various aspects, including information exchange among staff, management as well as patients and their relatives. However, due to technological advancement there has been continuous expansion of possibilities for storage, processing and retrieval of medical data. According to Tripathi et al., (2009) varied types of information technologies and applications in the medical field have continued to enormously grow and evolve to ensure effective management and communication health as well as safety in both social and health care settings. From a perspective of social and health care workplace, there are several legislations that aim to support health and safety that are discussed below:
The 2008 Act on Health and Social Care
In this Act information technology and communication (ICT) in health products are considered critical in disseminating important information concerning welfare, health and safety. This is attributable to the fact that, ICT can be used to allow control or combination of various sources of information in order to gain efficiency and provide better care within a health and safe environment while making sure that staff and resources are freed up. As a result, implementation of communication policies, systems and procedures in the Silver Meadow Care Home in accordance with this legislation will lead to various benefits, including:
Patient Safety: This is because they will result to reduction of medical errors such as surgical errors, adverse drug related admissions, transfusion errors, as well as professional negligence.
Quality of care: Health information technology (HIT) reduces paperwork and provides more time to nurses which can be used to attend to their patients (Tripathi et al., 2009). As a result, Silver Meadows Care Home residents can get quality care from the physicians, nurses and the cares due to the saved time.
Patient access to care: Access to health and social care is improved using Health information technology (HIT) by ensuring that processes that are ineffective are streamlined resulting to increased staff productivity. The indicators of success in provision of care includes: time-out results analysis, time taken to respond to patients’ inquiries, as well as improved self-management of chronic diseases.
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
This Act usually considers a variety of issues that are related to health, safety, as well as welfare of employees across various workplace sectors. With regards to requirements of health and safety, this Act delegate a general obligation to the management and staff of health and social care homes to cooperate and take care of others concerning issues pertaining health and safety.
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992
The Act is a refinement of 1974 Act where it requires the management of health and social care homes to regularly conduct risk assessments and record findings prior to communicating them to employees and patients. This Act compels the management to arrange on implementation of health and safety measures for the purpose of improving emergency procedures as well as providing clear information and training to their staff and also work in collaboration with other stakeholders.
Health and Safety Regulations 1981
In order to boost health and safety, this regulation compels the management of health and social care workplace to provide information to staff, patients and visitors on first-aid arrangement. In addition, they must also ensure that there is provision of first aid equipment as well as availability of trained first aiders.
This means that it is inevitable for the implementation of health information technology in Silver Meadows Care Home to step up health and safety in its settings, which has to be carried out in accordance with the entire raft of standard, legislation, as well as guidelines altogether referred to as “Information Governance” in UK. It has been operational for sometimes and cover issues of accessing and disclosing health information as well as confidentiality. The 2008 Act on Health and Social Care establishes the National Information Governance Board for Heath and Social Care, (NIGB) which is mandated to carry out a statutory duty of supervising the governance of information (Tripathi et al., 2009).
Using the guidelines provided by the above legislation and regulation, information about health and safety can be effectively communicated and implemented in Silver Meadows Care Home. In the UK, implementation of health as well as safety policies in social and health care workplaces is conducted by the Department of Health based on the model provided below:
Figure1: Implementation Model (Source: Pall, 2012)
According to Stranks, (2005) Health Department is obliged to formulate policies regulating provision of services related to health and social care to people across UK. Even though implementation of these policies and procedure may be compromised by non-compliance, rectification can be achieved through regular monitoring by supervisory agencies shown in the above figure which ensure home cares oblige to specific health and safety policies at all levels.
Task 1: (b)Responsibilities of Management and Staff in Managing Health and Safety
Management and staffs of Silver Meadows Care Home just like those in other home care settings have certain responsibilities that they are supposed to adhere to. Elderly people are without any doubt the most vulnerable age group of the population implying that special consideration must be taken towards their safety, care, and security (Fisher, 2005). According to Sowers & Catherine (2008) all the staff of elderly home care must be able to readily access up to date policies for nursing care and medication guidelines. On the other hand, the British National Formulary must also be readily accessible to nurses working at Silver Meadows Care Home.
In the UK, planning of health and safety in health as well as social care workplaces is conducted by both non-government institutions as well as government institutions. There exists a public health and health care system in the government of UK. In this system, there is distribution of responsibilities from the department of health down to the local authorities. As a result, the system includes health and social care providers and takers, NHS commissioning board, clinical commissioning board, monitoring system as well as public and local health (Pall, 2012). There is an integration of this system where responsibilities are delegated to all organisational bodies based on health and safety which ought to be provided by social and health care homes.
Management is the other crucial aspect of safety and health with regards to organisational structure, particularly in relation to the management and staff responsibilities at health and social care home. In the management of health and safety responsibilities of management as well as staff include: systemic utilisation of standardised techniques which are important in the identification and removal of impeding hazards; and controlling potential risks by influencing behaviours as well as encouraging attitudes during techniques (Pall, 2012).
As a result, the responsibilities of management and staff in relation to health as well as safety management at Silver Meadows Care Home can be assessed in the context of care and support plan for a physically disabled individual because palliative care is offered.
For example: A Care and Support Plan for a Physically Disabled Individual
Based on the care and support for the physically disabled individual, the plan includes taking the person to a restaurant once per week to take dinner since he/she is unable to this individually. However, the person wants to eat a burger at the restaurant every time when taken out, but the carers or support workers are of the opinion that burgers are not healthy and the person should not eat them that often. Here the management and staff of Silver Meadows Care Home through their responsibilities with regards to management of health and safety can devise individualised mental capacity for making a better decision. But within the responsibilities of management and staff is it a good decision to hinder such a person to take fatty foods? From this perspective, the answer is yes; however, they should ensure that they use in supporting and encouraging tone of voice so that they feel as though they are being bullied. They should also concern them in taking responsibility when they eat foods that are unhealthy. This implies that responsibilities and management of health and safety are related to individuals as well as the organisation. Furthermore, the example of care and support plan provided shows how the management of health and safety can be comprised and the appropriate steps that can be used to rectify it also discussed.
Task 1: (c)Analysis of Health and Safety Priorities
Care homes should be maintained in a manner that portrays a home in order to be pleasant to live in by providing safe and healthy environment. Hence, the management and staffs of care homes should prioritise the most important issues with regards to maintaining high quality health and social care for the residents. In the context of Silver Meadows Care Home, which offers dementia care, palliative care, nursing care, and residential care for the elderly people, it is clear that there should be some appropriate health and safety priorities. For instance, since Silver Meadows is taking care of elderly people whose movement is limited there is need to prioritise the safety of entry and exit in the workplace to allow easier movement in case of an emergency (Moonie, 2000; Sprenger, 2003). Also considering that elderly people are not stable and vulnerable to, the floors should always be maintained in good state and not wet or slippery through better housekeeping practices (Sprenger, 2003). In health and social care settings, infection is the main risk and its prevention should be prioritised since elderly people often have compromised immune systems meaning new infections or cross infections may pose a significant danger to them. This can be controlled by limiting the number of visitors or employees to an area considered risky; using measures of hygiene which reduces or prevents transferring of infectious agent through regular hand washing and ensuring that the work environment is maintained in a hygienic condition. Reducing the risk of sharp injuries should also be prioritised at care home through engineering controls and elimination of risks as well as safe usage and disposal of sharp objects (Sprenger, 2003).
Task 2
In order to understand the impact of requirements of health as well as safety on practitioners and customers of health and social care homes, there is need to carry out risk assessment, as well as impacts of policy on customer and care practice, care planning, encountered dilemmas, as well as effects of non-compliance. Details of these aspects are discussed in the contents that follow:
Task 2: (a) Risk Assessments’ Information and Care Planning for Residents
Information on the services offered by health and social care home constitutes an important element of ensuring services are provided and taken in the context of health and safety in care planning. This can either be in the context of organisational decision making as well as individual care planning. Risk assessment is the most appropriate method to collect this information because it involves identification of impending hazards, possible severity of harm likely to result from of the identified hazards, calculating the extent of risk, monitoring as well as reappraisal of the risk (Grinnell & Yvonne, 2008). Hence, there is need for regular risk assessments in order to assess the risks associated with health and safety of individual care planning.
In most instances, the nature of risk assessments tend to be simple and can be done through direct observation/examination, but some are more complex and requires lengthy procedures to ascertain. The process of risk assessment involves several steps which have to be executed as follows: (1) significant hazards are identified through observations or interviews; (2) making a decision on who is likely to be harmed by the hazards; (3) evaluating the risks and deciding on the effectiveness of existing precautionary measures followed by implementation of proper measures if the existing ones are ineffective; (4) recording the findings and communing them to the staffs; and (5) reviewing the risk assessment and if necessary revisiting it (Lishman, 2007). The model of risk assessment in health as well as safety management is illustrated in the figure below:
Figure 2: Model for managing health and safety in work place, (Source: Dowding & Barr, 1999)
The information obtained from risk assessments plays a critical role in informing care planning for residents and organisational decision making concerning policies and procedures because its inherent features which include: it is recognised as a risk control, its implementation is done in accordance with modern procedures to manage risk, the risk assessment needs to be reviewed and revisited or amended if necessary, it ensures that there is control of all hazards, and it results in mitigation of any residual risk to be reasonably practicable. According to Carr (2010) getting information from risk assessments can be of considerable benefits; for example, at individual care planning they include: knowing different care services offered by various health and social care facilities, knowing better providers of health and social care, knowing the rights of getting the services of health and social care homes, appraising services offered by health and social care homes, as well as helping to make decisions on services to be sought. In addition, in the context of organisational decision making benefits include: an organisation gets to be aware of different procedures policies that concern social and health care, an organisation can get to be aware of new procedures and policies concerning health as well as safety management at care homes, it helps an organisation to decide on the services to give to a client and how to give, and also the information helps organisations to be conscious with regards to their right, client right as well as obligations (Carr, 2010).
Task 2: (b) Analysis of a Particular Aspect of Health and Safety Policy
In UK, various health and safety policies do exist with regards to regulation of different aspects of health and social care settings. There are both positive and negative impacts of these policies. One of safety and health policy is the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992. This regulation is the basis of the policy made against aggression and violence in care homes and has varied impacts care home service users and the care providers (OSHA, 2012). This is because aggression or violence expressed by some service users is a source of distress and injury to care providers at work. This policy helps in reducing aggression and violence which positively impact the care providers. Alternatively, it may hinder health care provision to service users with aggressive or violent behaviours, especially those seeking dementia care due to their limited cognitive ability. The policy also causes financial burden to care providers since they have to continuously train their staff on how to effectively handle patients who are potentially aggressive or violent.
Another policy is Health and Safety Regulations 1981 which compels the management of health and social care workplace to provide information to staff, patients and visitors on first-aid arrangement as well as ensuring that there is provision of first-aid equipment and presence of trained first aiders (AHS, 2010). This policy helps care providers or other patients to immediately get first when injured by violent patients or from any other accidents. However, it increases cost of running care home in purchasing first aid equipment and recruiting first aiders. Both policies seem to have both positive and negative impacts, but it is also clear that their overall impact is good to care providers and patients even though they may hinder service provision (Balarajan et al., 2011).
Task 2: (c) Addressing Dilemmas Encountered Implementing Systems and Policies for Health, Safety and Security
Silver Meadows Care Home is faced with dilemmas in ensuring that every legislation is adhered to because of their budgetary implications as well as quality care improvement or staff performance and also security measures. Popple & Leslie (2008) asserted that based on required expectations and stakeholder needs implementation of necessary systems is needed with emphasis on government requirements. Dilemmas are the concerns the facility face to ensure security and safety of patients is guaranteed (Popple & Leslie, 2008). Thus, the specific dilemmas include the need to ensure security and safety of patients always since it is the responsibility of the facility to guarantee the well-being of patients within a secure environment. In addition, budgetary requirements to implement the appropriate systems for assured security and safety of patients is another dilemma because the facility is faced by financial constraints and needs to outsource for the required capital. Considering Silver Meadows Care Home is considerably large, there is need to maintain high security levels as well as safety processes. Through implementation of new technology for operating systems and departments, it is possible to effectively manage time and increase the quality of care. However, these dilemmas can be addressed by liaising with management through which services of consultants can be used to monitor the activities through which the performance of employees can be improved. In order to increase the quality level of health and social care, continuous training programs need to be provided for the staff in order to ensure standards are developed. Finally, the dilemma with security can be addressed by implementing security camera system to increase safety at home care. According to Mizrahi & Larry (2008) implementation of a process of performance evaluation can maintain standards of employees with regards to Health and Safety Act 1981. Stringent adherence to policies, legislations and codes or standards of practice is also essential in achieving this goal as well as reducing risk irrespective of investments required since through cost benefit analysis should obviously give more benefits than costs.
Task 2: (d) Effects of Non-Compliance with Health and Safety Legislation
In case, health and social care home is non-compliance with a legislation or regulation which govern health as well as safety, its performance becomes ineffective and clients are dissatisfied. This means that when standards are not maintained in a home care, clients become unhappy and often seek health care services from other providers. According to Mathis & Jackson (2010) failure of a home care to provide the necessary training programs to their employees on existing legislation, regulations and standards often results to non-compliance subsequently hindering performance and quality service which eventually reduces the profits. According to Rosenfeld & Russell (2012) non-compliance to legislation may result to legal actions, especially when patients’ rights are violated as a result of failure of home care to maintain the legislation or the standards. The legal actions may also incur the home care a significant financial burden in terms of compensations and legal fees. Also, the home care may be banned to operate by the government due to gross violation of patients’ rights arising from non-compliance to legislation. Furthermore, when a home care is non-compliance with existing legislation the overall impacts may be increased risk, customer dissatisfaction, poor performance, poor levels of productivity, and a possibility of a ban from the government.
TASK 3
Understanding of the process of monitoring and review of health as well as social care workplace policies, systems, procedures, and practices is central to success in health and safety implementation. This section covers the monitoring and review of safety and health policies, systems and practices as well as their effectiveness in the promotion of safe culture and healthy workplace as well as evaluation of personal contribution. Details of these aspects of health and safety have been discussed in the following contents:
Task 3: (a) Monitoring and Review of Health and Safety Systems, Policies, Procedure as well as Practices
Health as well as safety systems, policies, procedures, and practices monitoring plays a fundamental role in managing safety and health in home cares. However, writing and launching of health and safety policy does not mean that is the end of responsibilities. In fact, it is the initial step in implementing a safety and health policy, which is vital in ensuring the required standards and codes or procedures are outlined alongside the need to ensure that they are always adhered to by everyone. Since there is a continuous change in safety and health management, the monitoring of the policies’ effectiveness needs to be done proactively for the purpose of regular evaluation of the progress and timely identification of deviations. Hence, monitoring and review of social and health care is required due to legal, morale as well as cost reasons. However, two general ways of monitoring as well as reviewing health and safety policies exist such as: proactive and reactive monitoring. Proactive monitoring which involves taking precautionary actions prior to a hazard constitutes the checking of implemented standards as well as control of management needs through regular inspections in addition to safety audits. This plays an imperative role in ensuring that preventative or protective measures and interventions are developed and implemented. As a result, this leads to significant reduction of risks as well as considerable gains in terms of costs reduction through minimised damages. Alternatively, reactive monitoring involves examination of events upon their occurrence and constitutes learned lessons from previous mistakes. Regular inspections of health and safety policy are an appropriate method of reviewing the progress of implementation. This approach is important in ensuring that risks or damages are mitigated in a timely manner for the purpose of abating their negative effects, which if left unaddressed would result to significant liability or taint the reputation of the facility. Thus, the need for devising the correct interventions is very important for long-term impact to be felt.
Task 3: (b) Effectiveness of Safety and Health Policies, Systems, Procedures, and Practices in the Promotion of a Positive, Healthy and Safe Culture
Health as well as safety systems, policies, procedures, and practices’ effectiveness is depended on social and health care promotion by focusing on several factors such as: the promotion of non-occupational factors and healthy lifestyles, as well as the organisational environment. Non-occupational factors are: home and community conditions as well as family welfare. On this aspect, emphasis should be directed to improving home and community conditions mainly by devising an appropriate approach through which collaboration between all the concerned parties can be achieved. Healthy lifestyles can be achieved through heightened awareness creation programs across all groups as well as encouraging change of lifestyles by highlighting the envisaged benefits. In addition, organisational environment is achievable through implementation of the necessary occupational safety and health standards as well as developing and implementing appropriate workplace designs and organisation. WHO proposed an effective model presented in the figure below:
Figure 3: Effectiveness Model of Health and Safety (Source: WHO, 2013)
The policies discussed previously such as the Management of Health and Safety at work Regulation 1992 puts more emphasis on risk assessments and reporting of findings, while Health and Safety Regulation 1981 compels home cares to provide first aid. These two policies play a critical role in promoting healthy workplaces as well as safe culture.
Task 3: (c) Evaluating My Personal Contribution
From perspective of personal contribution, two aspects of evaluating my personal contribution exist, i.e. personal evaluation as well as professional evaluation. Contributing to health and safety as own, it is crucial to make sure own actions are taken to reduce health and safety risk including identification of hazards, risk’s evaluation, understanding responsibilities, monitoring and reporting as well as making and application of policies. In particular, identification of hazards will play a crucial role in ensuring that preventive interventions are implemented prior to any damage occurring. Evaluation of risks is also imperative as a personal contribution, because through appropriate assessment of risks helps in choosing the correct measures that are necessary to prevent damage from the risks or mitigating such risks to ensure their unwanted effects are minimized or mitigated. Furthermore, succinct understanding of responsibilities will be vital in ensuring that, my mandate is always fulfilled with a goal of achieving an optimal working environment. On the other hand, monitoring and reporting will also be crucial in evaluating the progress and ensure improvements are made on areas where underperformance is identified. From own health and safety practices, it is clear that Health and Safety Regulations 1981 implementation is well to allow immediate first aid service to people. However, more interventions are required for discrimination to be removed. An illustration of the evaluation model is shown below:
Figure 4: Evaluation Model (Source: Self Study)
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is safe to state that health and safety implementation in home care, an integrated policy is required through which everyone will get surety to equity in health and social care. For the development of competence of health service providers, there is need for an integrated training since without such policy individuals will be taking their health risk responsibility.
References
AHS (2010). Strategic Plan for Workplace Health and Safety. Available at: https://:www.albertahealthservices.ca/org/ahs-org-whs-strategic-plan.pdf [Accessed 12th November 2015].
Balarajan, Y., Selvaraj, S., & Subramanian, S. V. (2011). Health care and equity in UK. London: Prentice Hall.
Cambridge Training and Development (2000). Advanced Health and Social Care, (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Chu, C., Breucker, G., Harris, N., Stitzel, A., Gan, X., Gu, X., & Dwyer, S. (2000). Health-promoting workplaces: International settings development. Health Promotion International, 15(2), 155-167.
CIS-Assessment (2010). Health and Safety in an Adult Social Care Setting. Available at: https://:www.cis-assessment.co.uk/docs/pdf [Accessed 12th November 2015].
Dean, K. (1996). Using theory to guide policy relevant health promotion research. Health Promotion International, 11(1), 19-26.
Dowding, L., & Barr, J. (1999). Managing in Health Care: A Guide for Nurses, Midwives & Health Visitors, (5th ed.). New York, NY: Prentice Hall.
Fisher, A. (2005). Health and Social Care. Oxford: Heinemann.
Garcarz, W., & Wilcock, E. (2005). Statutory and Mandatory Training in Health and Social Care: A Toolkit for Good Practice. Oxon, OX: Radcliffe Publishing.
Graham, B., & Steven, P., (2008). Your Foundation in Health and Social Care: A Guide for Foundation Degree Students. London: SAGE.
Grinnell, R. M., & Yvonne, A. U. (2008). Social Work Research and Evaluation: Foundations of Evidence-Based Practice (8th ed.). Oxford, UK; New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Grol, R., et al., (2007). Planning and Studying Improvement in Health Care: The Use of Theoretical Perspective. The Milbank Quarterly, 85(1), 93-138.
Holland, K., & Hogg, C. (2001). Cultural Awareness in Nursing and Health Care: An Introductory Text. London: Hodder Arnold.
HSE – Review Health and Safety Legislation (2014). Health and Safety Legislation – laws in the workplace [online]. Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/legislation/ [Accessed 12th November 2015].
HSG (2000). Managing Health and Safety on Work Experience: A Guide for Organisers.
Lishman, J. (2007). Handbook for practice learning in social work and social care: knowledge and theory. London: Jessica Kingsley.
Mathis, R. L., & Jackson, J. H. (2010). Human Resource Management. New York, NY: Cengage Learning.
Moonie, N. (2000). Advanced Health and Social Care. Oxford: Heinemann.
Morath, J. M., & Turnbull, J. E. (2004). To Do No Harm Ensuring Patient Safety in health Care Organizations. Sainsbury, NJ: Jossey Bass Wiley.
Pall, N. (2012). Primary healthcare needs top priority. Mumbai: India Health Progress.
Pamela, M., & David, W., (2009). First Health and Social Care, (1st ed.). London: Reflect Press.
Payne, M. (2011). Humanistic Social Work: Core Principles in Practice. Chicago: Lyceum, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.
Popple, P. R., & Leslie, L. (2008). The Policy-Based Profession: An Introduction to Social Welfare Policy Analysis for Social Workers (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Reamer, F. G. (2006). Ethical Standards in Social Work: A Review of the NASW Code of Ethics, (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: NASW Press.
Rosati, R. J. (2009). Home healthcare quality. Journal of Healthcare Quality, 31(2), 3-4.
Rosenfeld, P., Pyc, L., Rosati, R. J., & Marren, J. M. (2012). Developing a Competency Tool for Home Health Care Nurse Managers. Home Health Care Management & Practice, 24(1), 5-12.
Rosenfeld, P., & Russell, D. (2012). A Review of Factors Influencing Utilization of Home and Community Based Long-Term Care: Trends and Implications to the Nursing Workforce. Policy, Politics & Nursing Practice, 13(2), 72-80.
Sowers, K. M., & Catherine, N. D. (2008).Comprehensive Handbook of Social Work and Social Welfare. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Sprenger, R. (2003). Health and Safety for Management. London: Highfield.
Stranks, J. (2005). Health and Safety Law, (5th ed.). London: Prentice Hall.
Trachtenberg, M., & Ryvicker, M. (2011). Research on transitional care: from hospital to home. Home Healthcare Nurse, 29(10), 645-651.
Tripathi, M., Delano, D., Lund, B., & Rudolph, L. (2009). Engaging patients for health information exchange. Health Affairs, 28(2), 435-443.
Webb, R., & Tossell, D. (1998). Social Issues for Carers: Towards Positive Practice, (2nd ed.). London: Hodder A
We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!
Licensure Application Comparison Order Instructions: Each state has different licensure requirements for different professions.
Licensure Application Comparison
Download two licensure applications and regulations for your state. The first is to apply for licensure as a professional counselor; the second application is for another discipline in the health care field. Examine the applications and regulations to determine similarities and differences. Write a 125-250-word comparison summary explaining the major differences between the two disciplines. You are not required to upload or attach the regulations as part of the assignment.
APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected
Licensure Application Comparison Sample Answer
Licensure Application Comparison
The information contained herein is an in-depth analysis of the contrasting applications and regulations regarding licensure requirements for a professional counselor and a qualified dentist in the state of Pennsylvania, USA. The contents give a description of the two fields in medicine including the characteristics of each field while exhibiting the contrasts in both professions.
To begin with, for a Professional Counselor, you will require a qualifying master’s degree whereas for dentistry will only require a bachelor’s degree. Secondly, while a professional counselor’s degree will require at least 60 semester hours of coursework, a dentistry degree will on require at least 30 hours. Additionally, in the counseling profession, psychology is closely associated with this field while dentistry does not assume psychological studies.
In case the degree acquired is deemed to be qualified during practice, one can accrue licensure after a period of three years or 3600 clinical days (Morgen, K., et al. 2012). In contrast, licensure for dentistry profession is eligible upon passing the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination by one of the dental examination boards and approved after five years after the release of the results. This is only conducted if the board certifies the practitioner has been engaged in postgraduate training on in dentistry practice or any other jurisdiction
Licensure Application Comparison References
Morgen, K., Miller, G., & Stretch, L. S. (2012). Addiction counseling licensure issues for licensed professional counselors. The Professional Counselor: Research and Practice, 2(1), 58-65.
