...Overcrowding in Emergency Departments across the Country Overcrowding in Emergency Departments Abstract: Emergency departments (ED’s) are considered a necessary component in the health care system. Many patients have access to this department 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. There has been an increasingly large volume of emergency room visits by both adult and pediatric patients up to 43% within the last 5 years. The overuse of the ED’s medical services across the nation is commonly referred to as “overcrowding”. One major cause of overcrowding is the misuse of the emergency room. Another cause is the increased volume of illness. The third cause of overcrowding is a shortage of staff. These major issues can delay staff from providing care to those who need it most. Although staff gives priority to patients who have a higher acuity of illness these patients often have to wait long periods of time before a bed becomes available. Overcrowding is serious issue in the ED and most of the contributing factors are beyond the control of the emergency department. The first cause of overcrowding in the ED is the misuse of the emergency room. More than 50% of emergency room visits are for non-urgent concerns and over 46% of these medical complaints could have been solved by a primary care physician (PCP). PCP’s sometimes fail to properly communicate with their patients which can lead to the anxiety that sends the patient to seek assistance in the emergency room. In many...
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...Emergency departments throughout united states face overcrowding, the challenge is due to the high demand for services, an increasing number of visits, overuse and misuse of services, and escalating healthcare costs. All hospitals follow a triage system to cope with overcrowding. When there is overcrowding, that will result in longer wait time for treatment, lengthens door to provider time, increase in number of patients leaving ED before treatment, and diverting ambulances to another facility. “Boarding” of patients is one of the main issues in emergency departments and ultimately impacts the service and quality of care patients receive. Emergency department is the front door of the hospital and is the actual revenue generating center of the hospital. Today's entire healthcare revenue cycle has shifted from a provider-to-insurer paradigm...
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...allowed without getting the written permission of the authors” Executive Summary The BME department at Mafraq Hospital performs a broad image of tasks which may be assigning to different units of department, the maintenance work at the hospital falls into one of the following types: Preventive Maintenance, Corrective Maintenance, and Emergency Maintenance. Key Performance Indicator (KPIs) is the performance indicators that Biomedical Department in Mafraq Hospital is using to monitor the performance of the department and wither they are working successfully by meeting expectations or there are gaps to be filled. A KPI guides them to improve maintenance effectiveness and efficiency, and lead to reliability growth at Mafraq Hospital. The BME department has established a mechanism of collecting data and required information to formulate the KPI. That required introducing new processes and train engineers and technicians into how they implement such a mechanism. An interview was done with Biomedical Engineers in Mafraq Hospital to identify how well the KPIs are being achieved during the last two years, and the results shown that BME department has failed to meet the KPI requirement, and the justification behind that was that there are two main challenges stopping them achieving their KPIs: the delay in performing the PPM, and the frequent failure due to the end-user misuse or negligence. These...
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...the experts in the case. The Case Sunnylake Hospital started as a community center with a vision to help people to cure their disease. Paul Layman, the CEO of the Sunnylake Hospital had joined the organization five years back with a vistion of implementing cutting edge technology to the community center to build it into a hospital which is sought after by the people. Paul implemented electronic medical records (EMR) which replaced the traditional way of prescribing and checking patient’s records through papers by converting them into digital data. One day an email stating the fault of the security systems of the organization was found in the inbox of Paul Layman mail by some anonymous person. However, Paul having full faith in his IT department...
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...Security and Privacy Donetta Bacon March 14, 2016 HCS 533 Catherine Doughty Security and Privacy Case Scenario two takes place in a small town that was hit by hurricane. The concern is the basement of the organization was flooded by the storm. This caused damage to patient files, and some was washed away when the water receded. Developing an idea to address patients who ask about his or her health record is a must. There also has to be a process that is in place in an event, such as a hurricane that protects the records. There will also be a detailed discussion on a management plan. With that comes training provided to staff within the management plan. With a new management plan, it will need to be implemented and those procedures will be discussed. There will also be a code of conduct included within this plan. Action when Patient wants Health Record Had it been in the basement meaning it would have likely destroyed the health records due to the flood. Most doctors will not make any rash decisions without knowing what was on that medical record. The best situation is to sit down with the doctor and examine the patient’s medical history so a new medical record can be made. This may require additional test and procedures done so the doctor can cover bases to protect him or her without compromising the patient's life. Management Plan A plan should be in place making sure that records of the patients are secure in any case of catastrophic events. One way...
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...CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS Our handbook, written by Kenneth Peck gives us some insight into the constitutional rights associated with criminal justice employees. It covers such areas as freedom of speech, search and seizures, self incrimination, religious practices, sexual misconduct, residency requirements, moonlighting, misuse of firearms, alcohol and drugs and drug testing. The state has a vital interest as an employer in regulating the speech of its employees with reasonable restrictions. The restrictions cannot be overly broad or in a way in which the government action is implied. Agencies may regulate/restrict the political behavior of employees. Without this employees can be pressured by superiors to support certain candidates, political activities or other activities that may impair the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization or them doing their jobs. The Fourth Amendment rights in regards to search and seizure cover the employee when they are off duty or at home just as it applies to everyone else. However, equipment supplied by the organization, such as lockers, desks, computers, patrol cars, uniforms, etc. are not protected by the Fourth Amendment. Even the employees, themselves, during work hours are considered a part of the department’s equipment and the individual may be used in a police lineup if necessary. The right to plead the Fifth Amendment does not necessarily apply to criminal justice employees providing that the officer has been informed...
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...Every day more than 115 people in the United States overdose due to the misuse and addiction to opioids; a crisis that affects the economy and public health. Opioids have been used as a way to manage pain; but what comes with these drugs is addiction and dependence. The history of opioid use has been originated from the early 1900s as Civil War Veterans were treated for pain, ultimately, getting hooked on painkillers. The Opioid epidemic is currently the deadliest drug crisis in American History. Overdoses are killing more people than guns and car accidents, spiraling a national health emergency. The idea of prescription restrictions and pain management strategies isn’t a topic that everyone agrees on; however, some doctors and patients have...
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...E P I DE M IC: R E SP ON DI NG T O A M ER ICA’ S PR E S CR I P T ION DRUG A BUSE CR I SI S 2 011 Background Prescription drug abuse is the Nation’s fastest-growing drug problem. While there has been a marked decrease in the use of some illegal drugs like cocaine, data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) show that nearly one-third of people aged 12 and over who used drugs for the first time in 2009 began by using a prescription drug non-medically.1 The same survey found that over 70 percent of people who abused prescription pain relievers got them from friends or relatives, while approximately 5 percent got them from a drug dealer or from the Internet.2 Additionally, the latest Monitoring the Future study—the Nation’s largest survey of drug use among young people—showed that prescription drugs are the second most-abused category of drugs after marijuana.3 In our military, illicit drug use increased from 5 percent to 12 percent among active duty service members over a three-year period from 2005 to 2008, primarily attributed to prescription drug abuse.4 Although a number of classes of prescription drugs are currently being abused, this action plan primarily focuses on the growing and often deadly problem of prescription opioid abuse. The number of prescrip tions filled for opioid pain relievers—some of the most powerful medications available—has increased dramatically in recent years. From 1997 to 2007, the milligram per person use of prescription...
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...Running Head: Corporate Application Establishing a HIPPA Compliant Procedure at Healthcare Department of Gary Job Corps Center Definition: Healthcare industry is being faced by a major threat that is misuse of patient health information. To protect the patient and their families during their job transition or the unemployment period and to protect the patient health information from being misused the U.S Congress ratified HIPAA i.e. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPAA protects patients and their families in times of their unemployment by providing them with Health Insurance at that particular time. (Wikipedia, 2011) The area of study this research addresses is the health care industry and the processes within. Healthcare industry is one industry that is always successfully operational because human being is exposed to the threat of illness every second. Since health care industry is always operational, the competition within the industry is extremely high. The competition is not only about who provides the best services, but it is also about who provides the best protection to the patients in terms of managing their information as well as protecting them in times of need. The subject under consideration is to study the health department of Gary Job Corps Center and develop a procedure that is compliant with HIPAA. The procedure in focus will be the management of patient health information...
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...environment: impact of working environment eg potential for falling objects, sharp edges and trailing leads; evacuation assembly areas; site building works; off-site work; organic infestation; vermin infestation; dampness and mould; materials eg hazardous, waste disposal; hygiene facilities eg washing and rest facilities, disabled access and toilet facilities; food preparation areas; pest control; noise and atmospheric pollution; temperature and ventilation Equipment: safety guards; warning signs and sound signals; maintenance frequency; protective clothing; accessible emergency exits; fire extinguishers or sprinkler systems Legislation: Data Protection Act 1998; Computer Misuse Act 1990; Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988; Freedom of Information Act 2000 LO3 Understand the role and responsibilities of key personnel Identification of responsible person: facilities manager; human resources director; department heads; individual employee obligations and responsibilities; first...
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...Past and Current Trends Paper Nicole Rufatt PSY/425 April 04, 2011 Abstract Drug trends have been a huge part of the American society. Manipulations of drugs have been traced back as far as 4000 B.C. American society has become familiar with drugs since the 1700s. These drugs were mainly used for medical and therapeutic purposes however without any knowledge of their addictive characteristics. Trends of these drugs have drastically changed throughout the years as a result of influences it has on the American society. During the Civil War injured soldiers were given morphine as an anesthetic to ease the pain without knowing the addiction it brings. A man by the name of John Pemberton was the founder of Coca-Cola, this drink contained cocaine and caffeine. Sometime after this the Pure Food and Drug act came into play in 1906; this required that a list of ingredients be visible on packaging which led to the removal of cocaine in Coca-Cola and many more products. Throughout the years drugs and alcohol are not only used for medical purposes but are used inappropriately. In the 70’s drugs were very common amongst the American society. The 70’s was a time period of love, drugs, and rebellion. During this period there was a wide spread of AIDS and HIV. Some of the contributing factors to this spread were the use of dirty needles being used to inject drugs into the blood stream and unprotected sex influenced by the drugs people were on. The American Culture encourages the use...
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...BS ABSTRACT. The combination of hydrocodone, carisoprodol, and alprazolam is subject to abuse. Ingestions of this drug combination reported to Texas poison centers during 1998–2009 were identified (totaling 1,295 cases) and the distribution of ingestions by selected factors was determined. The number of cases increased from 0 in 1998 to 200 in 2007, and then decreased to 132 in 2009. The counties in eastern and southeastern Texas accounted for 80.9% of the cases. Of the patients, 57.3% were women and 94.6% were age 20 or older. Suspected attempted suicide accounted for 59.3% of the cases and intentional misuse or abuse for 27.3%. KEYWORDS. Alprazolam, carisoprodol, hydrocodone, poison center INTRODUCTION Abuse of prescription drugs is increasing in the United States. Rates of overdose deaths involving prescription drugs increased during 1999–2006.1 Emergency department visits involving the nonmedical use of opioid analgesics increased during 2004–2008.2 There has also been an increase in prescription drug abuse among adolescents.3,4 Hydrocodone is a prescription narcotic pain reliever sold alone or in combination with other medications known by the brand names Vicodin (Abbot Laboratories, North Chicago, IL), Lorcet (Forest Pharmaceuticals, St. Louis, MO), Lortab (Mallinckrodt Inc., Hobart, NY), and Norco (Watson Pharmaceuticals, Corona, CA). Carisoprodol is a prescription muscle relaxant known by the brand name Soma (Meda Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Somerset, NJ). Alprazolam...
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...L01 Health promotion 1.1 Socioeconomic status means one of the most powerful risk factors for poor health outcomes. Persons of lower socioeconomic status suffer disproportionately from nearly all diseases and have higher rates of mortality than people of higher socioeconomic status. http://futureofchildren.org/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=60&articleid=374§ionid=2510 This socioeconomic difference can leads to limited access to basic health care services. Social and economic factors shape risk behaviour and the health of drug users. They affect health indirectly by shaping individual drug-use behaviour; they affect health directly by affecting the availability of resources, access to social welfare systems, marginalization, and compliance with medication. many different influences, from family and friends to socioeconomic status and quality of life in general. Factors such as peer pressure, physical and sexual abuse, stress, and quality of parenting can greatly influence the occurrence of drug abuse and the escalation to addiction in a person’s life. (Drug facts, 2012). Drug facts, 2012 access online [www]http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/understanding-drug-abuse-addiction access on 12/11/14. 1.2 The state of public health Canada in 2008 stated Health inequalities are differences in health status experienced by various individuals or groups in society. The word Health inequalities is closely linked to “social...
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...Emergency Plan For Food Defense South-Western City School District TABLE OF CONTENTS I | Overview | | A | Purpose of the Plan | 4 | B | Planning Assumptions | 5 | II | Mitigation and Prevention | | A | Vulnerability Assessment | 6 | B | Prevention Strategies | 6 | III | Preparedness | | A | Security | 9 | B | Supervision | 11 | C | Safety | 14 | D | Maintenance | 15 | E | Record Keeping | 15 | F | Training | 16 | G | Emergency Contacts | 16 | IV | Response | | A | Detection | 18 | B | Contamination | 18 | V | Recovery | | A | After Action Review | 20 | B | Document Archive | 20 | VI | Appendices | | A | School Food Defense Assessment Checklist | 21 | B | Online Resources | 24 | C | Acronyms | 26 | South-Western City Schools Emergency Plan for Food Defense The Emergency Plan for Food Defense is an incident management strategy that serves to augment the South-Western City School District’s Schools Emergency Response Plan. In order to ensure efficient and effective emergency management, the Food Defense Plan must be implemented in its entirety. I. Overview Children are a high risk population for food-borne illness. Both natural disasters and human-caused mistakes have the potential to contaminate the food supply, debilitate food service facilities and cause disease. These incidents include weather-related emergencies (e.g., flood, earthquakes, drought, heat wave, extended power outages), processing errors...
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...OMM 618: Human Resources Week 1 Assignment Organizations motivate employees by offering rewards and bonuses and at some rate this is a good way to keep everyone engaged if not abused. The problem starts when the management starts to misuse it like giving out rewards to people based on their familiarity rather than on their performances. Being left behind knowing that you deserve better can make a person more dissatisfied and might end up living the organization. So what do you think satisfy an employee and makes them stay to the company? Of course benefits, salary, and the sense of being needed in the company as much as appreciated for being a performance. With these things, employees will definitely stay with the company. For the human resource management, providing an enticing and rewarding reward system is sometimes bothersome. Knowing that rewards play an important role to how an individual functions in the organization, the management is making processes that will make the reward system more acceptable to all employees involved. It is important that once the system has acted, it should be there to motivate more employees, and not to cause more problems because it can add to the satisfaction of the employees in the working place (Galanou). When rewarded for their effort, employees can become more productive because they knew they are doing their job properly and at the same time they knew they are being appreciated. This process can also make them more loyal to the...
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