ProCE - Nurses

Nurses

Multimedia

Safe Handling of Hazardous Drugs: Practical Considerations for Compounding and Administration

Are you at risk for exposure to hazardous drugs? Hazardous medications are capable of causing serious effects in healthcare workers, including local reactions, cancer, organ toxicity, fertility problems, genetic damage, and birth defects. Regulations and guidelines for handling hazardous drugs exist, but exposures still happen. It is important to know how contamination by hazardous drugs can occur and the most effective methods to avoid it.

2008 Consensus Conference on the Safety of Intravenous Drug Delivery Systems

The highlights and outcomes of the 2008 Consensus Conference on the Safety of IV Drug Delivery Systems has been captured and developed into a multi-media continuing education program.

Challenges with PCA, Patient Safety and Technology

This program focuses on the safe and effective use of Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA). The program covers PCA patient selection, potential failure points in the PCA process, FMEA application in the PCA process and the role of nursing in PCA.

Continuous Venous Oxygen Saturation Monitoring in the Unstable Patient

This Dynamic CD program provides an overview of continuous venous oxygen saturation monitoring in unstable patients. Included are a discussion of balance between oxygen supply and demand; the unstable states in which venous oxygen saturation monitoring is necessary; and a close-up look at using continuous monitoring devices in the healthcare setting.

Detect, Correct, and Prevent Medication Errors with Intelligent Infusion Technology

The 2006 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report indicated that approximately one medication error occurs per patient per day in hospital care. Many of these errors occur during the medication administration step of the medication use process. Among the improvement strategies to prevent errors, the IOM report noted the use of technology such as smart infusion pumps with well-defined drug libraries as one mechanism to reduce the chances for errors. However, implementation of smart infusion pump technology requires significant time, effort and resources and multidisciplinary involvement.

MS from the Nurse's Perspective: More Than Symptom Management

From the point at which patients are diagnosed with MS, nurses and other healthcare professionals are there to help them to live as comfortably and productively as possible. The nurse's role in MS care has been increasing in recent years, especially in the implementation of treatment strategies. In fact, nurses often serve as a "treatment hub," as they identify medical, psychological, and social issues; serve as patient educators; act as patient advocates and care managers; and foster communication among the patient, family, and fellow clinicians. Nurses therefore go beyond assisting patients with symptom management; rather, they play a multifaceted role in MS care throughout the course of the disease.

Optimizing Sedation and Analgesia in the ICU: Teamwork in Patient Care

Careful selection of analgesic and sedative medications is essential in critical care. Achieving a balance between patient comfort and safe ventilation involves both science and art. This program will emphasize the importance of teamwork in achieving optimum analgesia and sedation in the ICU.

PCA: 25 Years in the Making: Where Are We Now?

This knowledge-based CE activity features the evolution of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) over the last 25 years. The expert faculty will present risk-management techniques using technology, standardization, and data analysis. They will also discuss PCA compared with other pain-management methods, integration with other protocols and systems, and appropriate use of data to enhance patient care. This presentation focuses on the collaborative partnership between disciplines, particularly nursing and pharmacy.

Recent Developments and Comparisons of Brain Function Monitors

This CD program will review the development of brain function monitoring, and its application in helping to prevent awareness during general anesthesia. We shall trace the history of processes electroencephalogram devices from the early 1980s until the most current monitors. We will also compare and contrast the monitors that are on the market today with respect to their basic measurement and processing principles.

Monographs

Safe IV Administration with State-of-the-Art Technology

This educational activity will describe the experiences and lessons learned with the implementation of intelligent infusion technology. The author, Jackie Estok, will discuss the importance of creating a safe IV administration environment for clinicians at the bedside, as well as physicians and patients. She will also describe how data collected with intelligent infusion technology is used in the improvement of safe bedside IV administration .

Using Advanced Technology for Glycemic Control in the ICU

This educational activity will describe the implementation of a computerized program for glycemic control in a 10-bed Medical ICU and 18-bed Surgical/Trauma ICU at Tampa General Hospital in Tampa, Fla. The author, Sara Thrower, will describe the rationale for and process engaged in changing from a paper protocol system to a software program. Challenges, derived lessons, and chance outcomes will also be described.

Advancing Patient Safety with Intelligent Infusion Technology

This journal supplement will focus on the use of technology to proactively prevent medication errors. The estimate of 44,000 to 98,000 annual patient deaths due to adverse medical events (AMEs) is often quoted in the literature and prevention of medication errors continues to dominate the health-system quality improvement environment.

Keeping the Lines Open with Evidence-Based Practice and Advanced Technologies

Intravascular catheters are indispensable in modern day medical practice and are necessary to provide vascular access. They can, however, put patients at risk for complications from catheter-related bloodstream infections, or CRBSIs. CRBSIs are life-threatening infections and account for significant medical costs - about $2.3 billion annually in the United States. This education program is designed to empower clinicians caring for these catheters with tools to prevent complications and promote positive outcomes for patients.

Keeping the Lines Open: Maintaining CVC Patency

Over 5 million central venous access devices (CVADs) are inserted each year in the U.S. to deliver medications, blood products and nutrition support. Over 15% of patients with CVADs experience mechanical, infectious and/or thrombotic complications that require intervention. The purpose of this monograph is to examine the scope of CVAD complications, to outline prevention and treatment strategies for CVAD complications and to examine device technology designed to reduce CVAD complications.

Patient and Provider Safety with the Chemotherapy Infusion Process

The risk of patient and provider exposure to hazardous drugs has been identified as a problem of increasing health concern. These hazardous medications are capable of causing serious effects to those exposed; including local reactions, cancer, organ toxicity, fertility problems, genetic damage, and birth defects. Professional organizations, government agencies, and various regulatory bodies have called for and/or developed guidelines for handling hazardous drugs. However, even with these measures in place, inadvertent exposures still occur and providers need to receive education on the availability and use of advanced safety equipment used in the preparation and administration of hazardous drugs. This monograph focuses on the safe handling, preparation and administration of hazardous drugs. The monograph covers risk management, current chemotherapy guidelines, types of safety equipment, and use of closed IV preparation/administration equipment.

Security and Wireless IV Infusion Devices - Is Your System Secure?

"Intelligent" infusion pumps can enhance efficiency and accuracy in infusion administration and has a direct impact on nurses, physicians and pharmacists, as well as information technology specialists, clinical engineers, biomed and risk managers. To help you make informed decisions about wireless intelligent infusion technology in your hospital, this monograph will tell you what it is, how it works, and what it takes to secure your hospital system.

Intelligent Medication Administration and Patient Safety at the Point of Care: An Evaluation of Implementation and Return on Investment

This monograph will familiarize nurses with 21st century "intelligent" technology that can help enhance patient safety and provide nurses an understanding of the types of errors taking place with medication administration. New medication administration technology can potentially help prevent errors and improve practice. Nurses will learn how to analyze data reports generated with this technology to better understand current facility practice and to improve facility practice if warranted. Examples of how to make a business case for today's "intelligent" technologies will be addressed.

High Alert Drugs: Addressing Potential Errors Proactively

Patient safety is of utmost importance within health-systems; yet, medication errors continue at an alarming rate. Regulatory and accrediting organizations have developed standards addressing medication safety; however, additional focus by these organizations is likely. Implementation of technology to help prevent medication errors has been slow due to the cost and resources required. This monograph will identify medications and processes prone to error and describe how medication infusion technologies may help prevent those errors. Additionally, this program reviews the data generated by medication administration technology and describes how to use this data to assist in quality improvement programs to reduce medication errors.

Managing Clinical Safety Software Data: Proceedings of an Expert Roundtable

The "Clinical Data Analysis Roundtable" held earlier this year provided an opportunity for participants to meet with an expert panel to discuss issues and concerns about the use of medication technology--including wireless technology-- for improving patient care, avoiding adverse drug events, and ensuring patient safety. This presentation offered a business case for the use of "intelligent" technology, including wireless intravenous infusion devices and barcoded medication administration systems, as well as demonstrating how participants can take a proactive, multidisciplinary approach in the planning, selection, implementation, and diffusion of medication technology to address potential errors.