Symptoms And Treatment Of Prescription Medication Essay

Further research into my experience has revealed similar scenarios being played out across long-term care facilities nation wide (Kirsebom, Wadensten & Hedstrom, 2013). Premature discharging from hospitals has resulted in medication discrepancies, incomplete discharge orders, and inappropriate medical treatments. Recent studies show that three out four skilled nursing facility admissions experience medication discrepancies from the discharging institute (Tjia, Bonner, Briesacher, McGee, Terrill & Miller, 2009).

Improving the quality of discharge planning in acute care include addressing the lack of appropriate staff and patient education about appropriate planning for discharge (4). This includes implementing proper discharge teaching regarding signs and symptoms to seek medical attention, management and care of medical equipment, and access to community resources (4, 5). Other challenges are patients with complex comorbidities too difficult to discharge as well as lack of community supports and equipment for newly discharge patients and lack of rehabilitation and nursing home beds (4). Consequently, acute care units are pressured to vacate hospital beds in response to the growing elderly population. Hospital professionals tend to focus discharge teaching and preparation on medical areas such as diet, activity, treatments, and medications (5). Community referrals to appropriate services at the time of hospital discharge does not often happen contributing to poorer patient outcomes and re-hospitalizations

Goal three by the National Patient Safety Goal for 2014 is to use medicines safely. Many errors occur regularly with medications which is why communication is so important with the doctors, nurses and patients. One process that Joint Commission requires in accredited HCO’s is medication reconciliation “creating the most accurate list possible off all medications a patient is taking, including drug name, dosage, frequency, and route, and comparing that list against the physician’s admission, transfer, and/or discharge orders with the goal of providing correct medications to the patients at all transition points within the hospital (Finkelman & Kenner, 2012, p. 388)”. Ensuring medication reconciliation to the patient, health providers and any new consults that are

Evidence supports transitional care programs as a means of improving quality of patient care and reducing 30-day readmission rates. Multiple models exist and all center on common goals of early patient identification, disease-specific patient education, medication reconciliation and education, office follow-up and timely coordination of care and sharing of medical records penitent to patient’s case.

The intended use of medications is meant to improve a person’ health, it is very important the individual administering medication or self-medicating use the drugs correctly, by following the doctors’ instruction for the medication prescribed. Medication is given to diagnose, treat, and prevent illness. Medication can be very dangerous, which can potentially cause harm or even deaf if it’s not used properly.

My Butler University academic training and intern experience has positioned me to recognize and appreciate the essential role performed by the clinical pharmacist. Although sometimes transparent, it is the clinical pharmacist that is central to a patient’s ultimate successful recovery. This was evident during my clinical rotations, where I directly participated in the optimization of medication therapy to achieve patient-specific outcomes; it is for this reason I am impassioned and compelled to pursue a residency. As a PGY-1 resident, I plan to apply my clinical knowledge in the acute and ambulatory care settings to identify medication-related problems and make therapeutic recommendations in collaboration with other practitioners. Upon completion

Deficiency of discharge planning can lead to lack of knowledge about diagnosis and confusion concerning medications. In a study researching patients being discharged from a teaching hospital in New York City, only 41.9% could tell researchers their diagnosis, 37.2% could remember the purpose of all their medications, and 27.9% could recite all their medications (Makaryus & Friedman, 2005). Insufficient

Nurses help organize and manage patient’s transition to home whereas the pharmacist calls the patient after discharge to review their medications. Any problems with medications are communicated to the primary provider.

Patients recognize discharge as a distinct episode in their care but, it also can skew their perceptions of the entire hospitalization. Educating, empowering and engaging the patient with pertinent information and support tools can make a vast difference in the success of their post-discharge care. The MDW is a low-cost tool designed to increase the patient’s knowledge and understanding about their medications upon discharge. Most hospitals have printed medication instructions in order to fulfill the “Meaningful Use Requirements,” that was initiated with the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. But, there is not standardization on how and when to use the MDW in the discharge process. The goal is to have better communication about medications. We are proposing that the MDW be incorporated into discharge teaching for all inpatients. This will require hospitals to reassess their current discharge processes and then, redesign the process to improve on what they have. The existing process will be redesigned to simplify and standardize the process throughout the organization. There will not be a need for additional personnel. The roles of

These provisions have a huge effect on nurses. Hospitals are encouraging nurses and social workers to provide their patients with self-care education regarding medication management, follow-up care, and signs and symptoms of expected/unexpected conditions that could develop after discharge (Burton, 2012). Some hospitals are requiring their nurses to follow up with patients through weekly home-visits and phone calls (Coleman, n.d.). Hospitals using the care transitions model experienced a 30% reduction in 30-day readmission and were able to reduce patient care costs by 20% (Coleman, n.d.).

The Department of Health and Human Services launched Healthy People 2020 to promote quality of life and healthy development across all life ages (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). As a healthcare professional working at retail sector, one of the pharmacist duties is to improve medication adherence that promote better quality of life for all groups. One of the biggest challenges for healthcare professional is improve medication adherence after the initial discharged of the patient to prevent hospital readmission. According to a study by the New England Healthcare Institute (NEHI), nearly one in five patients discharged from the hospital is readmitted within 30 days and resulted in an estimated total cost of readmissions

Mediation reconciliation is the process of gathering all the medications, including over the counter meds, herbal supplements, and multivitamins a patient is taking regarding their care. Within the parameters of mediation reconciliation, dosage, frequently, name,and route are the prime factors of developing a medication regimen. The goal of knowing all medications of a patient before continuing with care or being admitted to specialized settings like hospitals or clinics will avoid over-medicated adverse effects and possibly death. According to the article, Medication Reconciliation to Facilitate Transition of Care after Hospitalization states that, “ It is estimated that 20% of patients experience adverse effects during the two weeks after hospital discharge (2015). With that in mind, image ho many patients experience this disparity throughout their lives with the advised medications given at the hospital. The nurse, as well as the patient and their families should be encouraged to be more involved in their care to avoid inadvertent inconsistencies across the transition of care between admission, transfer, and discharge from and to specialized settings. Aside from preventing medication errors, we as nurses, can support the patient 's safety as the first line of defense in battles against unsanitary and explosive adverse effects that results from inadequate nursing skills.

A Corrective Action Plan meeting was held on 8/3/15. Present during the meeting were Elena Briceno, Regional Director, People's Care, Dara Mikesell, Manager of Quality Assurance, Kristen Gener SG/PRC Service Coordinator, and Adriane Picazo, Manager of Client Services, RS1. Plan of Correction: A, Staff will dispense medications as prescribed by physician B, The Administrator arranged for staff to received medication training by a pharmacy on July 24, 1=2015, verification of this training was submitted on August 3, 2015. C, The Administrator will instruct the staff to continue following the present Medication Dispensing Protocol, which indicates that DSP A dispenses the medications and DSP B verifies the medications with the Medication Administration

The reconciliation should be used in every transition in care, where the new medication is prescribed and old mediations are rewritten. The accuracy of the list can prevent many drug effects and interactions; therefore it is important to ensure proper documentation and communication at all levels of care. Also, many errors occur when doctors fail to write out necessary orders such as, “resume pre-op medication.” The use of this “resume pre-op medication” has been prohibited by the Joint Commission due to the many complications it can produce including increasing the chances of adverse effects. Furthermore, it has been discovered that most discharged patients have been found to have insufficient knowledge regarding their medications upon returning home (Joint Commission, 2006). Medical reconciliation provides the patient with crucial information regarding the dosage, route, therapeutic effect, and reason for administration.

Today in the 21st century the roles of pharmacist have expanded tremendously. Before pharmacist had the role of solely dispensing drugs. Pharmacists were limited to only being regulatory or clinical pharmacist. Back then they were called medical purveyors who were much like today’s regulatory pharmacist and hospital pharmacist who are similar to hospital pharmacist. Now pharmacists carry many roles in healthcare. Pharmacist can play roles in public health, community, health systems, state, and federal government.