...Research Article: Standard Tracheal Secretion Assessment versus an acoustic Secretion Detector Endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation are life-saving procedures in patients with respiratory insufficiency. But this can profoundly impair the defensive mechanisms which keep the lower respiratory tract sterile, increasing the risk of bacterial colonization and ventilator-associated pneumonia. Although endotracheal suctioning is a standard of care in all mechanically ventilated patients, clear guidelines regarding the technique and timing of suctioning are lacking. The applicable American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) guideline suggests that endotracheal suctioning should be performed at some minimum frequency or when clinically indicated. Since endotracheal suctioning can cause hypoxemia, mechanical trauma, bronchospasm, and hemodynamic instability, an accurate assessment of the need for suctioning might decrease the frequency of suctioning complications. TBA Care is a novel device designed to generate a signal when secretions are present in the respiratory tract of an intubated patient, indicating the need for endotracheal suctioning. This is the first prospective randomized trial to compare different indications for endotracheal suctioning. This study compares the efficacy of TBA Care in detecting the presence of secretions in the airways to standard indications, and tested the hypothesis that different suctioning indications could impact the incidence of ventilator-associated...
Words: 1074 - Pages: 5
...providers are struggling more than ever to provide high quality care while controlling the costs of healthcare. The demands of an aging population and shortage of medical personnel have brought challenges to the medical office and physicians somehow need to improve their access. Instead of limiting the time patients are able to spend with their physician discussing their medical concerns, why not increase the time and make it more effective for both the patient and the physician. Incorporating GMA’s may allow our physicians to see more patients, provide more care, and increase practice revenue. The patient benefits with increased access to the provider as well as receiving significant education with their peers that suffer from the same medical conditions (Rhee, 2013). This is a win – win situation for the organization and patients. Patients are typically allotted 15 to 30 minutes to discuss their concerns with the physician but with group medical appointments (GMA), patients are actually able to spend up to 90 minutes with their provider. GMA’s offer an alternative structure in the way effective and efficient care is delivered to chronically ill patients (Schmucker, 2006) and it allows greater interaction time with the provider. A GMA will typically involve approximately 8-12 patients while all of the components of individual appointments can be delivered to include: one-on-one medical evaluations, greater time for patient education, and promoting self-management (Jaber, Braksmajer...
Words: 2910 - Pages: 12
...Personal and Professional Health Care Communication Health care communication is the process of sharing health related information with health care professionals, and people seeking care within a medical facility. Using positive health care communication patients are can improve his or her quality of life, health professionals collaborate to resolve difficult solutions, and interact effectively with other health care staff with the patient’s best interest in mind. Effectively using verbal and nonverbal communication health care professionals improve their ability to share information, and interpret responses both personally and professionally. This paper will explain the relevancy of positive health care communication, the effects of inadequate communication, and the theories and principles of therapeutic communication that health professionals use in the health care setting. Personal health care communication allows an individual to create trusting and supportive relationships within the health care setting. The health care professional begins to establish these relationships with patients and clients during the interview process. Using empathy, positive regard, and congruence the health professional can build a rapport with the patient or client. The health care professional remains aware of aspects from his or her own beliefs, values, and perceptions that may influence these interactions with others. Maintaining a non-threating, nonbiased pattern of communication...
Words: 1216 - Pages: 5
...on test make-up. 3. Make-up of Final Exams: In the event that a student misses the final exam for the nursing course, the student will receive a grade of incomplete or “I” for the course. Refer to the Course Grades policy found in Student Nurses Handbook. 4. Collaborative or Group testing activity: An opportunity to add a maximum of two points to individual test scores may be earned through a group testing activity. Two points will be added to individual student scores if the group activity score is 91 and above. One point will be added to individual student scores if the group activity score is 81 through 90. No points will be added to individual student score if the group activity score is 80 and less. Group testing will be conducted as follows. a. After taking the exam, individual test scantrons will be collected. The students will keep the test booklet and use it during the following group testing activity. b. After scantrons are collected, students will move into assigned groups. c. Once in a group, a NEW scantron will be issued. Each scantron is given a number. Check that the members of the group are listed on the back of the group scantron. d. Together, the group will retake the test. e. The group records their responses on the one...
Words: 2993 - Pages: 12
...PICO Question Population – Mechanically ventilated intensive care patients. Intervention – Oral care with chlorhexidine. Comparison – Oral care with other chlorhexidine. Outcome – Decreased oropharyngeal pathogen colonization reduces number of VAPs and lowering intubation time, hospital stay, and mortality rate Does the use of chlorhexidine oral care reduce the number of ventilator-acquired pneumonias? More specifically, determine the efficay of chlorhexidine in decontamminating the oral cavity of pathogens in mechanically ventilated intensive care patients based on published scientific literature. Significance of the Problem Pneumonia is the second most common nosocomial infection in the United States and the leading cause of death from nosocomial infections. Critically ill patients are a vulnerable population that is more susceptible to developing nosocomial infections. Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) occurs in patients treated with mechanical ventilation, and is associated with a higher incidence in patients treated with continuous ventilatory support. These patients have 8% to 25% risk of developing VAP, and the risk increases by as much as 1% per ventilator day (CDC, 2015). VAP is considered a serious problem, because it extends hospital stay by 6 days or more, has substantial cost implications of up to $40,000 per patient episode, and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality rates (CDC, 2015). Strategies for the reduction and prevention...
Words: 2702 - Pages: 11
...Personal & Professional Health Care Collaboration HCS 350 Esteban Guaderrama 3/05/2012 Health care communication may be defined as a process that facilitates interdependence among members of a health care unit or group. It takes place either verbally or non verbally and is a systematic approach to enhance the sharing of ideas. Health care communication is essential in coordinating activities within a health care unit especially if it integrates administration and staff members. It is also essential in the implementation of therapeutic groups or support groups for a range of heath related concepts. Relevance of Effective Personal Healthcare Communication Personal interactions between providers and patients create impact on patient satisfaction, patient self-care, and health outcomes. Therefore, verbal communication during a provider-patient encounter is extremely important, particularly for low health literate patients who may lack the resources and skills necessary to obtain needed information on their own (Merhtens, 2007). Health care units are now considered as some of the most effective preventative groups in society. Therefore, community based projects are a common scenario in health care institutions. For example groups that deal with renal patients, substance abuse and family violence are now a common occurrence in health care institutions. Additionally, health care groups are also being used as treatment centers for people...
Words: 1793 - Pages: 8
...appointments at an urban primary care clinic: a randomised controlled study Noelle Junod Perron1*, Melissa Dominicé Dao1, Michel P Kossovsky1, Valerie Miserez1, Carmen Chuard1, Alexandra Calmy2, Jean-Michel Gaspoz1 Abstract Background: Missed appointments are known to interfere with appropriate care and to misspend medical and administrative resources. The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of a sequential intervention reminding patients of their upcoming appointment and to identify the profile of patients missing their appointments. Methods: We conducted a randomised controlled study in an urban primary care clinic at the Geneva University Hospitals serving a majority of vulnerable patients. All patients booked in a primary care or HIV clinic at the Geneva University Hospitals were sent a reminder 48 hrs prior to their appointment according to the following sequential intervention: 1. Phone call (fixed or mobile) reminder; 2. If no phone response: a Short Message Service (SMS) reminder; 3. If no available mobile phone number: a postal reminder. The rate of missed appointment, the cost of the intervention, and the profile of patients missing their appointment were recorded. Results: 2123 patients were included: 1052 in the intervention group, 1071 in the control group. Only 61.7% patients had a mobile phone recorded at the clinic. The sequential intervention significantly reduced the rate of missed appointments: 11.4% (n = 122) in the control group and 7.8% (n = 82) in the...
Words: 5923 - Pages: 24
...Personal and Professional Health Care Communication Katherine Halpin, RN, CNOR HCS/350 July, 29, 2013 Tracy Andrews Personal and Professional Health Care Communication Communication, according to The Free Dictionary, is “the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing or behaviors.” “The scope of health communication includes disease prevention, health promotion, health care policy, and the business of health care as well as enhancement of the quality of life and health within the community.” (Healthy People, 2010). In the development and maintenance of personal and professional relationships, communication is vital. Communication can be verbal or nonverbal. Body language and facial expressions can be powerful communication tools. For healthcare personal effective communication is necessary in providing the best care for the patient and enhances the ability to make informed decisions. Effective communication can enhance patients’ outcomes and the collaboration between various health care team members. Communication takes place between the patient, their family, doctors, nurses, PT’s, PCT’s and ancillary staff. For the health care team to receive and deliver the correct information, the data collected must be accurate, up to date and pertinent. Research evidence indicates there are strong relationships between a healthcare team member’s communication skills and a patient’s capacity to follow through with medical recommendations,...
Words: 1684 - Pages: 7
...health care system is most often complex, inconsistent and costly. To maintain and improve the business, healthcare organizations are continuously innovative and evolving to meet the demands of consumers. The purpose of this paper is to discuss a case study of UnitedHealthcare Group, what they are about, their network and resource management, their view on nursing and how they satisfy their patients. About United Healthcare The largest for profit healthcare carrier in the United States (US) is UnitedHealth Group, the parent of UnitedHealthcare. Headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, UnitedHealth Group is a diversified managed health care company founded in 1977 and ranking #17 in the top 500 companies in the US, according to Fortune magazine. UnitedHealth Group has a total workforce of approximately 150,000 in the 50 US states and 20 other countries and serves more than 85 million individuals worldwide (UnitedHealth Group, 2013). They offer a wide spectrum of health care services and products through two operating businesses: UnitedHealthcare, which provides benefits services to individual consumers and employers of all sizes and health care coverage: and Optum, which provides technology health services and information in care delivery and improving the operating and clinical elements of the system and population health management (UnitedHealth Group, 2013). “UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience...
Words: 1245 - Pages: 5
...The aim of this essay is to explore an aspect of care that a client group receives whilst in the community setting. The chosen aspect of care will be palliative care delivered to those patients who have been told they have a non-curative illness but are not yet at the end of life. The stage of the illness of the client group chosen is one where the patient is managed at home because there as there is nothing anyone can do to make things better (Calman-Hine Report 1998). The essay will also briefly describe three different professional groups involved in providing palliative care. It will then go on to discuss how good communication and collaborative working between these professional can provide the best quality of care of the patient and how poor communication can compromise the patients quality of care. Palliative care can be defined as the overall care of patients whose disease does not respond to curative treatment. The aim of Palliative care is to improve as much as possible the quality of life of patients and their families facing a life-threatening illness. This can be achieved by providing pain and symptom relief, spiritual and psychosocial support from diagnosis to bereavement (WHO 2002). Patients with life threatening illness may require care from a variety of different specialists and services at a number of points in their illness; this will include both statutory and non-statutory organisations (National Health Service Executive 1998). To ensure that all...
Words: 1114 - Pages: 5
...UnitedHealth Group Name of Student Institutional Affiliations UnitedHealth Group The UnitedHealth Group is a company that offers diversified health care management services. It is based in Minnesota in the United States of America. It is located at Minnetonka (UnitedHealth Group, 1974). It is ranked the 14th on the Fortune 500 List of the best companies and business enterprises in the world. UnitedHealth Group has two companies that offer their services and products to the consumers. The two business entities are Optum and UnitedHealthcare. It has approximated that it serves over 70 million people in the United States of America. This paper discusses the company in various dimensions. Firstly, the history of its strategic evolution is presented. The important development highlights the various changes that have been done on the company since its introduction. The changes include the introduction of new services, products, and business branches. Notably, these changes are responsible for the success that the company has registered in the few past decades. The SWOT Analysis, Environmental Assessment, Financial Assessment, and Strategic Issues that the organization faces are also discussed. The paper concludes the evaluation of the company by recommending some strategies that could be used to improve the performance of UnitedHealth Group. These recommendations aim at improving the quality and quantity of production, profitability, as well as reducing customer complaints and enhancing...
Words: 6099 - Pages: 25
...advancement has allowed care givers to use devices such as personal cellular devices, pervasive sensing technologies, and social networks, to deliver health care from providers to clients. There are certain effects of using mobile technology blood pressure monitoring, checking glucose level, oxygen level and heart rate, etc. Monitoring Patient Vital Signs via Mobile Computing Versus In-Patient Visits Vital signs are key indicators of a patient overall health status. We are at a point in time where temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, glucose levels, oxygen levels, and respiratory rates can now be taken via mobile technology. There was a time when patients had to travel to the doctor’s office or other health care facilities in order to have these vital tests done. It was also the norm to have a health care provider doing these tests in person and writing down the results. These results were input into a chart or a computer system by the provider who took them. Sometimes it was documented right away or hours later when time allow. Mistakes were also a factor because the health care provider input the wrong information and this sometimes impacted the patience in a negative way. With the introduction of technology in health care, patient stats can be a lot more accurate and yield a better outcome. The use of smart phones and wireless technology devices has allowed patients to monitor vital signs and upload this information to their health care provider’s information...
Words: 1567 - Pages: 7
...Introduction The nursing students working on 5E, the psychiatric unit at the University of Virginia, identified patient safety as a clinical problem related to inadequate staffing. Previous research revealed that 63% of the staff on this unit identified that inadequate staffing greatly affected patient safety. In order to research this issue further, the nursing students developed a follow-up survey that would help to identify the aspects of patient safety that are most affected. By understanding which aspects of patient safety create an issue on this unit, the group will develop an intervention with increasing safety as the expected outcome. Safety on this unit is difficult to measure because the unit does not face the same problems that staff encounter on Medical Surgical Units. One way to measure safety on 5E is to review the number of patient falls. Data was obtained that revealed in November of 2012, 5E reported the most falls of any unit in the hospital. Other safety markers are difficult to identify and are not regularly measured. During a typical day shift, the staff on the unit consists of four registered nurses (RNs), two patient care assistants (PCAs), one house unit coordinator (HUC), and two therapists, either occupational (OT) or recreational (RT). Twenty-three beds are available on 5E and at the time of the survey, twenty patients were currently...
Words: 4654 - Pages: 19
...Aggregate Data | | | Comparative Data | | | Patient-centric Data | | | Transformed-based Data | | | Aggregate data: Data extracted from individual health records and combined to form de-identified information about groups of patients that can be compared and analyzed Comparative data: Data that are used for benchmarking or other comparisons within or across healthcare organizations. continuous variables are either interval or ratio level. With continuous variables there are no gaps in the measurement data. For example, an individual’s weight may be 120 or 121 or any weight between 120 and 121. Continuous variables include fractions. Arithmetic operations—addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division—may be performed on continuous variables. Patient-centered medical home (PCMH): A program to provide comprehensive primary care that partners the physicians with the patient and his or her family to allow better access to healthcare and improved outcomes Patient-centered care involves transforming the relationship between providers and patients from the traditional model, in which a care provider prescribes the same treatment for most patients with similar diagnoses or conditions, into a patient-provider partnership that considers treatment options based on a patient’s unique concerns, preferences, and values. Patient-centered care also focuses on the health outcomes that are important to individual patients, addressing questions such as: “Will this treatment...
Words: 773 - Pages: 4
...UnitedHealth Group Name of Student Institutional Affiliations UnitedHealth Group The UnitedHealth Group is a company that offers diversified health care management services. It is based in Minnesota in the United States of America. It is located at Minnetonka (UnitedHealth Group, 1974). It is ranked the 14th on the Fortune 500 List of the best companies and business enterprises in the world. UnitedHealth Group has two companies that offer their services and products to the consumers. The two business entities are Optum and UnitedHealthcare. It has approximated that it serves over 70 million people in the United States of America. This paper discusses the company in various dimensions. Firstly, the history of its strategic evolution is presented. The important development highlights the various changes that have been done on the company since its introduction. The changes include the introduction of new services, products, and business branches. Notably, these changes are responsible for the success that the company has registered in the few past decades. The SWOT Analysis, Environmental Assessment, Financial Assessment, and Strategic Issues that the organization faces are also discussed. The paper concludes the evaluation of the company by recommending some strategies that could be used to improve the performance of UnitedHealth Group. These recommendations aim at improving the quality and quantity of production, profitability, as well as reducing customer complaints and enhancing...
Words: 6099 - Pages: 25
