Preview

Chasing zero

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
430 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Chasing zero
Chasing Zero Reflection Paper

A simple hand wash can save lives. When health care workers fail to perform effectively and maintain the minimum safety measures, the consequences of that could be sever. After watching the documentary "Chasing Zero: Winning the War on Healthcare Harm", I’ve realized that by maintaining simple human behaviors, we can prevent many deadly infections and reduce the mortality rate tremendously. The goal of the documentary is to accomplish the maximum possible ways to assure the safety for patients. The documentary was hosted by the actor Dennis Quaid, who went through a terrible experience with his infant twin daughters who have experienced two incidents of medication error and overdose.
In the United States, millions of infection cases develop each year and the number of Americans who die as a result is enormous. Medication error is also a great contributor to the death of millions of Americans. Medication errors include prescribing errors, dispensing errors and medication administration errors. When we say medication errors, it may sound harmless, but these types of mistakes cause harm a great number of people each year in the United States.
In theory, preventing infections in health care facilities is easy, while in reality, it is difficult to get people to wash their hands properly. There are many ways to help in preventing the spread of infections in hospitals, clinics, and communities. Most importantly, safety measures or standard precautions must be used with all patients at all times. These safety measures may include hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, and wearing protective clothes. Following these standard precautions would help greatly in stopping the spread of germs from one person to another.
In order to prevent medication errors, communication and asking questions are essential. Besides, sharing information with doctors and pharmacists, especially when getting a new prescription or

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Number one safest way to prevent infection is proper hand washing technique. At least we have to wash our hands with water and soap for 15 seconds before and after touching patients and also after removing our gloves. At times water and soap will not be available to caregivers so a substitution can be improvised such as 70%…

    • 333 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    To help the prevention of infection spreading is by knowing the method of washing your hand because we carry most bacteria sue to the open air that we come in contact with. For example we use are hands to shake hands with someone holding or touching objects. When you are performing any form of hand hygiene you will need to make sure that you have washed your hand with anti-bacterial liquid soap; this is to help prevent any bacteria which we already have on our hands. In all health and social care settings an automatic liquid dispenser should be placed so that when washing hands any individual doesn’t touch or need to even sneeze any part of the liquid dispenser with this it should be able to prevent any infections spreading. They are elbow taps that can be used by the touch and push of you’re an elbow using these kinds of methods help prevent the spread of infection majority as with an individual who has washed their hands. Take for example bathrooms and touching of the tap other people have already touch it and have put bacteria’s on the tap already. A hand dryer also should be put in to help prevent infection but it has to be the automatic one so that your not touching anything after the washing of your hands.…

    • 1103 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The incidents and increased complications of diseases in hospitals continue to escalate. Cross-contamination is a concern because the spread of microorganism from room to room can rapidly become a big outbreak. Understanding the modes of prevention is vital for the success against bacteria; these responsibilities apply to everybody working and visiting a hospital. Using a good hand washing techniques, proper wear of personal protective equipment and sterilization of surgical equipments are the first line of defense in preventing cross-contamination in a hospital setting.…

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Hand hygiene has been the foundation of preventing nosocomial infections throughout the hospital. It has been taught for several generations that hand hygiene is effectively accomplish through the use of handwashing with soap and water. Unfortunately, studies have shown that handwashing practices have fallen out, which have led to a noticeably low compliance rate with health care workers. This in turn has led to an increase of nosocomial infections, and has had a negative impact on improving the health of patients who rely on physicians, nurses and other ancillary staff who have direct contact with them. Fortunately, an introduction of a new product has been able to change the statistical data with low compliance rate for hand hygiene. Some facilities have introduced the use of alcohol-based hand rubs as an alternative to the conventional handwashing techniques to help decrease the rate of nosocomial infections. There are several factors that indicate a better efficacy rate with using hand rubs versus handwashing. Studies have shown that health care workers have listed barriers and constraints that prevent them from practicing proper hand hygiene; therefore, leading to a low compliance rate. The effect of this low compliance rate leads to longer hospital stays, the development of resistant bacterial infections, and consequently a higher mortality rate among the patients. Research suggests that using alcohol based hand-rubbing solution is more effective in preventing nosocomial infection versus standard hand washing with antiseptic soap because healthcare staff are more compliant with using an alcohol based rubbing solution, consumes less time than standard hand washing practices, and it is readily available throughout the hospitals.…

    • 2322 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Healthcare associated infections measures the transmission of diseases and/or bacteria between healthcare professionals and their patients. The measurement of transmissible infection diseases does not eliminate the chances in a hospital setting; rather, the day to day interaction with all healthcare workers. Hand hygiene contributes significantly to keeping patients safe regardless if the patients are humans and animals. Washing hands is a simple, inexpensive, and an effective action to prevent the spread of microbes that cause healthcare associated infection. The most common transmissible disease in any hospital, dental, or veterinary cleaning is Staphylococcus aureus. The task of proper hygiene in-between patients’ care enhances patient safety…

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    From the past ,Health care workers wear facing a very serious and sensitive problem while treating patient which is Medications Errors. Patient safety is characterized as opportunity from incidental harm because of medical care, or absence of medicinal blunders, or absence of abuse in administrations. Medical error is: "a failure in the therapeutic process that can possibly lead to harm to the patient"(1). It occurs when a health care provider selects improper technique in care or improperly executes an proper strategy of care. Medical errors can happen anywhere in the health care system: In hospitals, clinics, operations rooms, doctors' offices, nursing homes, pharmacies, and patients' homes. Errors can happen…

    • 759 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    An Annotated Bibliography

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages

    This article shows how harm can be prevented or reduced for patients by quickly correcting any errors made through medication administration. Accurate and complete medication histories are preferred for all patients. Collaboration between physicians, nurses and other health care providers on medication reconciliation is beneficial for a pharmacist. Attention to detail is always expected and more so during shift changes and handoffs of care, therefore reducing the risk of medication errors occurring.…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Demonstrate standard precautions that would be used to prevent the spread of infection in a health or social care setting…

    • 317 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) can be extremely detrimental in health and social care settings where patients highly susceptible to disease. These are infections which the patient acquires during or after healthcare has been received which can be dangerous as contracting an infection whilst receiving healthcare from an unrelated problem could have a deteriorating effect on the patient in comparison to a healthy individual’s reaction. Patients in hospital and other healthcare settings have increased vulnerability so consequently are easily receptive to pathogens due to examples such as reduced immunity or open wounds. Therefore the appropriate precautions and procedures must be set in place to ensure cross-infection cannot occur. It is crucial for health professionals to understand how infection spread so that they can consider and act upon the significant implications which are risked when improper measures are not followed hence why the knowledge of the chain of infection should be learnt. Infection control is high on the agenda for healthcare providers…

    • 3562 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hand Hygiene

    • 1487 Words
    • 6 Pages

    This essay will examine and compare the different methods of hand washing in the perioperative environment and how hand washing influences the prevention of healthcare acquired infections (HCAIs). It will show the importance of washing hands thoroughly to remove bacteria to prevent HCAIs. It will include the differences between the surgical hand wash, the social hand wash and the use of alcohol rubs.…

    • 1487 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Patient Safety

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Patients can be harmed from health care, resulting in permanent injury, increased lengths of stay in hospital and even death. Over the past 15 years, adverse events occur not because people working in medical professions intentionally hurt patients, but rather due to the complexity of health-care systems, where treatment and care depend on many factors, in addition to the competence of health-care providers. When so many and varied types of health-care providers, such as dentists, dieticians, doctors, midwives, nurses, surgeons, pharmacists, social workers, and others are involved, it can be difficult to ensure safe care, unless the system is designed to facilitate the delivery of quality and safe services. Patient Safety is defined as the reduction of risk of unnecessary harm associated with health care to an acceptable minimum (1).…

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Department of Health identifies the medication method as ordering, distributing, and administering medications. Bates expands the process to include medication transcription and discharge instructions. Fogarty and McKeon stated the main cause of unintentional injury to patients is medication errors (as cited by Agyemang & While, 2010). The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention define medication errors as "preventable events that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm" (as cited by Thompson-Moore & Liebl, 2012, p. 431).…

    • 994 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Misdiagnosis essay

    • 2950 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A 2006 follow­up to the IOM study found that medication errors are among the most…

    • 2950 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Diarrhoea

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Transmission could also be reduced by providing separate room and toilet facilities or placing infected patients together. Staff, patients and visitors should wash their hands with soap water regularly and thoroughly; alcohol hand gel should not be used as this has been proven ineffective against the bacteria. Infected surfaces should also be cleaned thoroughly with water and a cleaning product containing bleach. Doctors are advised to prescribe antibiotics cautiously to reduce the broad- spectrum antibiotics given so that the number of people at risk is…

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    According to a study by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, at least 1.5 million individuals suffer from by medication errors each year (Institute of Medicine, 2006). Medication errors are the most common of type medical errors in healthcare facilities. The report goes continues that the extra expense to treat injuries related to mistakes in drug administration in hospitals alone amounts to approximately $3.5 billion yearly, not including figures for wages and productivity lost or additional costs of health care (Institute of Medicine, 2006).…

    • 1644 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays