Afaya, A., Konlan, K. D., & Kim Do, H. (2021). Improving patient safety through identifying barriers to reporting medication administration errors among nurses: an integrative review. BMC Health Services Research, 21, 1-10.
In this integrative review, Afaya, Konlan, and Kim Do (2021) conducted a comprehensive analysis to determine what prevents nurses from reporting drug delivery mistakes in hospitals and how doing so might enhance patient safety. According to the authors, these barriers fall into two primary categories: organizational and professional and individual. Organizational barriers include inadequate reporting methods, managerial conduct, and a hazy definition of pharmaceutical mistakes. Fear of management, coworkers, lawsuits, personal reasons, and insufficient understanding of mistakes are examples of professional and personal impediments. Afaya, Konlan, and Kim Do (2021) suggest that an atmosphere devoid of “punitive measures and blame culture” is essential for nurses to disclose drug administration mistakes. They argue that nurses’ capacity to report drug administration mistakes may improve if legislators, managers, and nurses agree on a standard definition of what constitutes a medication error.
The article is an integrative review, which means it compiles material from numerous sources to create a thorough overview of the subject. The role group tasked with implementing quality and safety changes may benefit significantly from this information since it gives them a holistic view of physicians’ obstacles when reporting drug administration mistakes. The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a call to action in 2007 to reduce the severity and avoid medication-related injury by 50% during the next five years. Afaya, Konlan, and Kim Do’s (2021) study are significant because it gives insight into the barriers to reporting medication administration errors that must be addressed to increase patient safety.
Wondmieneh, A., Alemu, W., Tadele, N., & Demis, A. (2020). Medication administration errors and contributing factors among nurses: a cross-sectional study in tertiary hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. BMC nursing, 19(1), 1-9.
Medication errors are a significant source of preventable suffering in healthcare systems everywhere, the majority of which happens during the administration of medications. Nurses substantially impact the prevalence and avoidability of drug administration mistakes. In this research, Wondmieneh et al. (2020) examine the extent and contributing variables of medicine administration errors among nurses in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, tertiary care institutions. Sixty-eight percent of nurses admitted to making medication-related mistakes in the previous year. Significant predictors of drug delivery mistakes were insufficient training, the absence of a guideline for medication administration, insufficient work experience, interruption during medication administration, and working during night shifts. Based on these data, the authors hypothesize that providing continual training on the safe administration of drugs, providing a medication administration guideline for nurses to follow, establishing an enabling atmosphere for nurses to prescribe medication properly, and keeping more experienced nurses may be crucial measures for enhancing the quality and safety of drug administration.
Several typical pharmaceutical administration mistakes are highlighted in the research, including the wrong dose, the wrong medicine, and the inaccurate means of administration. In addition, it emphasizes that the most common causes of medicine administration mistakes were a lack of understanding, distraction, and a considerable workload. With its complete grasp of the causes of medication mistakes, this resource can be valuable for the role group responsible for implementing quality and safety improvements in medication administration. The data may be utilized to design effective solutions to reduce pharmaceutical delivery problems in the healthcare system. The research findings may assist in identifying the areas that need improvement to decrease patient safety risk, including boosting knowledge and awareness among nurses, enhancing the work environment, and decreasing the workload.
Schepel, L., Aronpuro, K., Kvarnström, K., Holmström, A. R., Lehtonen, L., Lapatto-Reiniluoto, O., … & Airaksinen, M. (2019). Strategies for improving medication safety in hospitals: evolution of clinical pharmacy services. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 15(7), 873-882.
The greatest significant avoidable danger to patient safety is associated with drug administration safety risks. Increasing the role of pharmacists in patient care and patient safety work has been a consistent focus of patient safety programs since the early 2000s to mitigate these threats. Following the enactment of the first National Patient Safety Strategy in 2011, Schepel et al. (2019) set out to investigate the breadth and depth of clinical pharmacy services offered by Finnish hospitals to improve patient’s access to safe medications between 2011 and 2016. The research demonstrates that by 2016, pharmacists’ responsibilities have grown to include system-level medication safety duties, including writing medication use instructions, updating medication safety strategies, and analyzing medication error reports to make the drug-use process safer. Additionally, in 2016, there was an increase in the number of pharmacists taking part in long-term continuing education, which was seen as beneficial in expanding pharmacists’ obligations to enhance drug safety.
The resource can undoubtedly be helpful to the role group tasked with achieving quality and safety improvements in drug administration. Based on the experiences of Finnish hospitals, this article presents an in-depth analysis of how clinical pharmacy services may be integrated into established plans for enhancing patient safety in drug administration. This research’s results may serve as a starting point for hospitals seeking to create or improve their clinical pharmacy services to promote patient safety, making it a valuable resource for developing a drug administration safety improvement strategy.
Khalil, H., & Lee, S. (2018). The implementation of a successful medication safety program in a primary care. Journal of evaluation in clinical practice, 24(2), 403-407.
Numerous governments, both in the developed and developing world, have made patient safety an official policy priority. Many pharmaceutical safety measures and programs are mentioned in the literature, but relatively few studies report on their application in primary care. In this paper, Khalil and Lee (2018) outline the procedures necessary to effectively implement a pharmaceutical safety program in rural primary care in Australia. In addition, the authors report on the initiative’s assessment and provide suggestions for future efforts. The study organization’s medication safety program consists of the following steps: collecting data on medication events that have occurred there over the last two years; providing medication safety training to physicians employed by the organization; establishing a medication safety group; and putting into effect the recommendations for medication safety that have been produced. Information on clinicians’ prior and current levels of knowledge, conduct, confidence, and satisfaction was also gathered. The findings demonstrate that physicians’ knowledge, confidence, and satisfaction after drug safety training increase by incorporating the training into their everyday practice.
The article describes the successful implementation of a medication safety program in a primary care setting. Case studies like this one are valuable pieces of evidence for primary care physicians because they show exactly how a drug safety program may be implemented in a real-world situation. A collaborative medication safety endeavor and employee training are two components the research suggests are crucial to a successful medication safety program. This article might serve as an excellent reference for primary care physicians as they work to reduce prescription mistakes and increase patient safety.
Ho, J., & Burger, D. (2020). Improving medication safety practice at a community hospital: a focus on bar code medication administration scanning and pain reassessment. BMJ Open Quality, 9(3), e000987.
In the United States, more than 30 percent of all drug mistakes happen during administration. Less than one percent of non-surgical hospital patients in the United States who are given opioids will have a serious adverse event. Both bedside barcode medication administration (BCMA) and pain reassessments were recognized as areas for quality improvement at Sierra View Medical Center. Ho and Burger (2020) provide a case study of an organization’s efforts to alter its culture to increase the frequency with which medicine prescriptions are scanned, and pain assessments are performed. The research was carried out at Sierra View Medical Center (SVMC), a facility that makes extensive use of automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) and a fully integrated electronic medical record (EMR) with computerized physician order entry (CPOE) and bars code medication administration (BCMA) capacity. Data openness, weekly dashboards, training, and PDSA cycles based on input from key stakeholders were the tools used to implement this strategy. Barcode medication administration (BCMA) scanning rates increased by 14%, and pain reassessment rates increased by 50% after a series of PDSA cycle implementations. There was a 17% drop in the number of ADEs caused by improper dosing and a 2.6% drop in the number of ADEs caused by opioids.
The resource is published in the BMJ Open Quality journal, which is a well-respected peer-reviewed journal, indicating that the research and findings are credible and trustworthy. The case study methodology used in this investigation lends credibility to the findings by illuminating the difficulties and triumphs of putting drug safety procedures into action in a healthcare facility. In particular, the resource’s advice on adequately deploying bar code medication administration scanning and pain evaluation might be helpful for the role group responsible for implementing quality and safety improvements concentrating on medication administration. It highlights the significance of employee training, key stakeholders’ involvement, and technology’s use in the implementation process. The information provided can be adapted and applied to a variety of healthcare settings, making it an invaluable resource in improving patient safety, particularly in relation to drug administration.
Lee, J. L., Dy, S. M., Gurses, A. P., Kim, J. M., Suarez-Cuervo, C., Berger, Z. D., … & Xiao, Y. (2018). Towards a more patient-centered approach to medication safety. Journal of Patient Experience, 5(2), 83-87.
An ever-increasing focus of high-quality medical treatment is the reduction of adverse drug reactions. Rates of possible interactions, prescription inconsistencies discovered by providers, and hospital readmissions are only a few of the healthcare system-oriented indicators that are often used to describe and evaluate pharmaceutical safety. Patient-reported adverse events or provider mistakes are usually included in these assessments, even though they may not correspond well with patient-centered goals in healthcare. Lee et al. (2018) take a patient-centric measurement approach by describing frequently used health system-oriented pharmaceutical safety indicators for assessing treatments and discussing how they might be reframed to represent the patient viewpoint better. Authors argue for a mixed approach to measuring pharmaceutical safety, with attention paid to both health systems and individual patients. According to Lee et al. (2018), these ideas may be used to improve the quality of patient-centered intervention assessments and to create better treatments overall. This is especially important in the field of pharmaceutical safety, where treatments must be relevant and tailored to individual patients’ requirements to have the most significant impact.
This article is beneficial for enhancing medication administration safety for patients since it provides a fresh viewpoint on the value of patient input into medical safety protocols. The authors point out that most previously published accounts and assessments of pharmaceutical safety center on healthcare system-level indicators. This resource may be seen as valuable by healthcare administrators and other critical actors tasked with implementing quality and safety improvements concentrating on medication administration, as it illustrates the necessity to integrate patient viewpoint into current healthcare-system-oriented measures, which has the potential to lower patient safety risks associated with medication administration.
Bielsten, T., Odzakovic, E., Kullberg, A., Marcusson, J., & Hellström, I. (2022). Controlling the Uncontrollable: Patient Safety and Medication Management From the Perspective of Registered Nurses in Municipal Home Health Care. Global Qualitative Nursing Research, 9, 23333936221108700.
Medication errors account for the vast majority of avoidable medical complications. To ensure that all patients get safe treatment, medical professionals must have a deeper understanding of patient safety as it relates to drug administration in home health care. Bielsten et al. (2022) investigate the topic of patient safety in relation to drug management in home-based care. Based on the research findings, the barriers to patient safety in medication administration in home-based care included difficulties with information transmission, delegation, and sophisticated medical treatments. The problem of information transmission pervaded the research results. The authors argued that for patient safety to be consistent with medication management in home-based care, there must be good communication between care providers to coordinate prescriptions, delegate responsibilities, and offer more comprehensive care.
Extensive studies show that medication delivery mistakes may happen in every area of nursing. The emphasis of Bielsten et al. (2022) .’s research is the factors that contribute to prescription delivery errors in home-based care. Home care workers, like other medical professionals, have an obligation to adopt quality and safety improvements in medicine delivery, and this data might be essential in this endeavor. The article’s emphasis on better drug administration makes it an invaluable resource for lowering the risk of medication-related harm to patients, particularly in home care settings.
Giles, S. J., Lewis, P. J., Phipps, D. L., Mann, F., Avery, A. J., & Ashcroft, D. M. (2020). Capturing patients’ perspectives on medication safety: the development of a patient-centered medication safety framework. Journal of Patient Safety, 16(4), e324.
When it comes to reducing the prevalence of prescription mistakes in primary care, the perspectives and experiences of patients may be invaluable resources. The problem is that there aren’t any models out there to help clinicians dissect the myriad of variables that might contribute to a patient safety event. To better understand medication safety in primary care from the patient and care provider’s point of view, Giles et al. (2020) create a patient-centered contributing factors framework and implementation checklist for addressing drug safety concerns in their article. The results emphasized the value of effective communication, enough drug and equipment supplies, patient and care provider factors, healthcare provider factors, and computer systems and programs in ensuring the proper administration of medications. Access to services and continuity of treatment were cited as two specific factors that were more prevalent among patients receiving primary care.
Contributory factors frameworks may help providers better understand the reasons for medication safety accidents, which are unfortunately widespread in primary care. Seeking patients’ perspectives on pharmaceutical safety might benefit from a framework positioned from their point of view. Medical professionals and other primary caregivers who are tasked with implementing quality and safety improvements related to drug administration may find the patient-centered contributing factors framework provided by this research to be very helpful. Maximizing the reduction of patient safety risks associated with medication administration is possible by integrating the patient-centered contributory factors framework and other existing frameworks.
Chuang, Y. H., Chiu, Y. C., Wu, L. L., Huang, H. C., & Hu, S. (2021). A qualitative exploration of the experiences of doctors, nurses, and pharmacists regarding medication management in an outpatient setting. Journal of Nursing Management, 29(2), 333-341.
In this research, Chuang et al. (2021) want to comprehend how the multidisciplinary team manages drugs and their recommendations for nursing management, as well as to establish a framework for safe medication management in outpatient facilities. To accomplish this goal, the authors conduct face-to-face interviews with doctors, pharmacists, and nurses from eleven different outpatient facilities using a qualitative research strategy. Uncertain professional duties and functions in outpatient medication management; entangled communications; transitioning from data to wisdom; and an uncertain culture of safety were the four themes identified. The resultant paradigm integrates hospital administrative support and information technology into a safety culture, with doctors, patients, pharmacists, nurses, and families working together.
Advancing the role and skills of outpatient nurses in monitoring patient drug safety is crucial. Managerial nurses may benefit from using the “framework of efficient and safe medication administration for outpatients” to evaluate and pinpoint problem areas in care delivery. This article is a helpful resource for nurses interested in enhancing the quality and safety of drug administration by outlining a strategy for doing so. Medication management in the outpatient setting is very crucial but sometimes disregarded. As a result, the article may be crucial in minimizing threats to patient safety associated with medicine administration, especially in the outpatient context.
Khalil, H., & Lee, S. (2018). Medication safety challenges in primary care: Nurses’ perspective. Journal of clinical nursing, 27(9-10), 2072-2082.
Several sources in the literature have pointed to issues that may be associated with medications. Such examples include medicolegal and patient complaints, as well as the systematic tracing of organizational structures and the reporting of incidents by healthcare workers. Few studies discuss the perspectives of community nurses and the barriers they confront in the workplace while trying to adopt drug safety strategies. Khalil and Lee’s 2018 research aims to shed light on the challenges associated with reporting medication errors in community nursing and proposes solutions for enhancing drug safety. The authors highlight various challenges among healthcare practitioners that impede drug safety in primary care, such as cultural differences between hospital and community settings, politics inside the healthcare system, a vague understanding of nurses’ duties, and a lack of incident reporting. Participants also mentioned a lack of education on medication safety, reporting and documentation difficulties, and a lack of clarity or understanding of the processes and procedures of reporting medication events.
Community nurses implementing quality and safety improvements in medication administration may find this resource particularly valuable since it thoroughly reviews the challenges to optimizing medication safety in community care practice. This article is a great resource for enhancing patient safety in medication administration since it identifies the causes of medication mistakes in community nursing. The paper helps drive the creation of the current improvement toolkit since the issues it describes may not be exclusive to community nursing but may exist in other sectors of nursing practice.
Corbett, C. F., Dupler, A. E., Smith, S., E’lise, M. B., & Bolkan, C. R. (2017). Transitional care medication safety: Stakeholders’ perspectives. In Advances in Patient Safety and Medical Liability [Internet]. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US).
The goal of this paper by Corbett et al. (2017) is to identify obstacles to and strategies for enhancing drug safety and decreasing medication risks during patients’ transition from hospital to home. Common variables affecting hospital-home transitional care medication safety were recognized by the stakeholder groups participating in this research. These included patient- and family-level issues such as competence, keeping previous prescriptions, and availability of medicine, and health system-level factors such as communication and care coordination, complicated discharge procedures, and staffing and time restrictions. Solutions to the problem of drug safety during the transition from hospital to home are also identified, including better information management, wider availability of medications, and better use of human resources.
This article is likely more beneficial to nurses as a resource for understanding obstacles to and options for enhancing drug safety and lowering medical risks during the transfer of patients from hospitals to their homes. This article may be a great resource for enhancing patient safety during medication administration by raising knowledge of these challenges and the potential solutions to them. This article has the potential to make essential contributions to the drug administration safety improvement toolkit’s medication safety techniques.
Lindblad, M., Flink, M., & Ekstedt, M. (2017). Safe medication management in specialized home healthcare-an observational study. BMC health services research, 17(1), 1-8.
Problems often arise while administering medications because of how intricate the procedure is. Lindblad, Flink, and Ekstedt (2017) set out to investigate what makes the “medication management process (MMP)” in specialized home care so complicated and how healthcare providers cope with it. This research reveals that MMP in-home care is complicated, with hazy lines of responsibility, insufficient information, and ever-changing norms and expectations. The results also demonstrated that healthcare professionals continually re-prioritized objectives, dealt with communication and information transmission gaps, and developed novel bridging solutions to facilitate a safe MMP. It was also shown that trade-offs and workarounds are required aspects but that they represent a risk to patient safety since they are not routinely examined or accompanied by well-crafted learning mechanisms.
This resource is likely more helpful to nurses as a resource for managing a safe medication process in nursing practice. This resource educates healthcare providers on the need to adjust to changing situations and develop bridging strategies by performing several actions in parallel across time, place, and actors to guarantee patient safety during drug administration. Since it provides a thorough analysis of what comprises the complexity of the medication management process, this resource may be beneficial in creating the safety improvement toolkit related to medication administration.
References
Afaya, A., Konlan, K. D., & Kim Do, H. (2021). Improving patient safety through identifying barriers to reporting medication administration errors among nurses: an integrative review. BMC Health Services Research, 21, 1-10.
Bielsten, T., Odzakovic, E., Kullberg, A., Marcusson, J., & Hellström, I. (2022). Controlling the Uncontrollable: Patient Safety and Medication Management From the Perspective of Registered Nurses in Municipal Home Health Care. Global Qualitative Nursing Research, 9, 23333936221108700.
Chuang, Y. H., Chiu, Y. C., Wu, L. L., Huang, H. C., & Hu, S. (2021). A qualitative exploration of the experiences of doctors, nurses and pharmacists regarding medication management in outpatient setting. Journal of Nursing Management, 29(2), 333-341.
Corbett, C. F., Dupler, A. E., Smith, S., E’lise, M. B., & Bolkan, C. R. (2017). Transitional care medication safety: Stakeholders’ perspectives. In Advances in Patient Safety and Medical Liability [Internet]. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US).
Giles, S. J., Lewis, P. J., Phipps, D. L., Mann, F., Avery, A. J., & Ashcroft, D. M. (2020). Capturing patients’ perspectives on medication safety: the development of a patient-centered medication safety framework. Journal of Patient Safety, 16(4), e324.
Ho, J., & Burger, D. (2020). Improving medication safety practice at a community hospital: a focus on bar code medication administration scanning and pain reassessment. BMJ Open Quality, 9(3), e000987.
Khalil, H., & Lee, S. (2018). Medication safety challenges in primary care: Nurses’ perspective. Journal of clinical nursing, 27(9-10), 2072-2082.
Khalil, H., & Lee, S. (2018). The implementation of a successful medication safety program in a primary care. Journal of evaluation in clinical practice, 24(2), 403-407.
Lee, J. L., Dy, S. M., Gurses, A. P., Kim, J. M., Suarez-Cuervo, C., Berger, Z. D., … & Xiao, Y. (2018). Towards a more patient-centered approach to medication safety. Journal of Patient Experience, 5(2), 83-87.
Lindblad, M., Flink, M., & Ekstedt, M. (2017). Safe medication management in specialized home healthcare-an observational study. BMC health services research, 17(1), 1-8.
Schepel, L., Aronpuro, K., Kvarnström, K., Holmström, A. R., Lehtonen, L., Lapatto-Reiniluoto, O., … & Airaksinen, M. (2019). Strategies for improving medication safety in hospitals: evolution of clinical pharmacy services. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 15(7), 873-882.
Wondmieneh, A., Alemu, W., Tadele, N., & Demis, A. (2020). Medication administration errors and contributing factors among nurses: a cross sectional study in tertiary hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. BMC nursing, 19(1), 1-9.
Science And Empire Essay Example
Introduction
Since the 16th century, science has significantly contributed to the development of empires. During ancient times, scientific activities led to the establishment of empires because they involved aspects that included expansion and exploration. Sailors, researchers, geologists, and other scientists facilitated expansion after discovering a new world. Often, the discovery of the new world occurred during scientific exploration. Research and writings from the participants of the scientific explorations show that the new world was full of nature yet to be exploited or used. The land was “virgin” and full of natural resources that attracted the European empires and prompted them to expand their territories. In the process, colonization was coined, with most European nations colonizing several regions, including the West Indies, Middle East, and Africa. Also, slavery was practised as a way of obtaining cheap labour to facilitate mineral mining, processing, and working in the plantations. Thus, the aspect of science came in as a way of facilitating the exploitation of natural and mineral resources, manufacturing (medicines) and war experiments, and enlightenment.
Thesis Statement
Science played a significant role in the development of empires by facilitating the expansion, exploration and exploitation of natural resources. Thus, causing the expansion of European empires and strengthening of the existing ones. Therefore, the paper will seek to better understand the making of science and empires by tracing the history of European expansionism, exploration, and colonization and explaining why it went hand in hand with the study of nature.
Exploration
History shows that the explorers were eager to understand what was happening or existed overseas. Often, they planned to participate in voyages for research, tours, and identification of the new world. During the process, they came across the wonders of nature or natural environments, topographies, and unexplored vegetation. Thus, they documented their findings and experiences that prompted the European empires to express interest in expansionism.
According to the Charles Darwin research journal, Darwin was inspired by reading Alexander Von Humbolt’s writing on a “voyage to a new world”. The term voyage to a new world shows that Alexander was on a mission to see or explore a new world that was different from the world he was living in. Notably, Darwin applied the same narrative and theory after the end of his university days to attempt to see beyond the Europe shores (Herbert, 2011 pg. 1839). During the voyage, Darwin explains how they interacted with nature and different forms of topographies pleasing to the eyes. He describes his wondering in the Brazilian forest by saying that “among the multitude of striking objects, the general luxuries of the vegetation…elegance of the grasses, the novelty of the parasitical plants, the beauty of the flowers, glossy green of the foliage…” (Herbert, 2011 pg. 1839) Thus the voyage to the new world beyond Europe was an expansion mission full of nature encounters.
Also, Thomas Jefferson’s passages from the book, “In Notes of the States of Virginia,” had several descriptions of the Indian accounts that were meant to direct future explorers to find the mammoth (big buffalo) that was suspected of having retired towards the Western and Northern part of America. Jefferson acknowledges that “…such is the economy of nature…” the exploration and findings of the remains of the mammoth were found across the great lakes, and “…tusks, grinders, and skeletons of unparalleled magnitude were found in great numbers some lying on the surface of the earth, and some below it” (Jefferson- Herbert, 2011 pg. 1787). The description of the submission by Jefferson (who at the time believed that the animal existed) shows how the acts of nature impact the existence of animals. Relatively, Alexander Von Humboldt, a geographer and a traveller, played a role in both exploration and revealing the denominated natural history. The personal narrative explains a journey to the Equinoctial regions where Alexander was glad to explore different counties. Alexander exclaims, “a traveller does not need being a botanist, to recognize the Torrid Zone on the mere aspects of the vegetation…. (Alexander-Herbert, 2011, pg. 1814)”
Further, exploration was conducted in the form of experiments and trials. Scientists used the exploration opportunity to advance their medical research. Notably, regions like the western Hindis provided access to natural trees and animals used for medicinal purposes. For example, Drake’s Manuscript highlights a type of tobacco called pectin; “a special herb which the Indians use for food as well as an extremely beneficial medicine” (Henderson & Powell, 2009 pg. 2). The medicinal plants and animals were processed to be medicine and the experiments were conducted on the people of color or the natives at overseas to test its functionality. “Thomas experiments with skin colour, however (as far as we can ascertain), exploited only enslaved African bodies (Schiebinger, 2017 pg. 28). Notably, the medicine projects utilized the natural resources that were available to facilitate science. Eventually, the exploration of medical tests and experiments achieved its objectives by eradicating the traditional ways of treatment. Notably, American empires were suffering from medical challenges, including those of traditional midwifery. Thus, the introduction of science eradicated the traditional medication methods to adopt the scientific methods. According to Thatcher, “women historians have argued that male doctors promoted science at serious cost…midwives were not only deprived of their occupation but were also shut out of the new medical education (Leavitt & Numbers, 997 pg. 72). Benjamin Franklin conducted another form of exploration in his balloon experiment that involved the flying a balloon object that could later be used to transport adventurers. Franklin says, “I am relieved from my anxiety by hearing that the adventurous descended well near L’lsle before sunset ” (Rotch, 1908 pg. 1 first letter). Thus, it shows that his exploration of the world outside Europe was excellent and involved interaction with the untouched natural world across the continent.
Expansionism and Colonialism
Expansionism was the driving force behind colonialism by the European nations. The exploration allowed for identifying the new world that needed invasion, encroachment, and exploitation of its natural resources. Research shows that the European nation was searching for untouched resources that could make them richer. A glance at the natural history of west Hindis shows that the country was rich in natural resources, including plants, animals, trees, insects, reptiles, and birds. Each natural resource had a role in placing in the Indies (Henderson & Powell, 2009 pg. 1). Thus, the colonizers were keen on expanding their empires and exploring the natural potentials to facilitate the activities back home. Research shows that Europeans admired the natural resources that eventually changed or expanded the European culture of coffee. The authors highlight that “the European travellers and merchants first noticed people drinking coffee in the Middle East in the late sixteenth century. Thus, influencing consumption that has spread across Europe (Hunt & Martin et al., 2012 pg. 79). Currently, the coffee culture has spread over the European countries after coffee production started booming.
The availability of natural resources prompted the need for labour to facilitate production. Notably, the invention of natural resources overseas led to the establishment of larger industries and plantations for plant production and sites for mining. Overseas labour was deemed cheap and an avenue to exploit the unskilled men and women in the farms and mining sites. Olaudah Equiano’s autography describes how the slaves were captured and sold to provide cheap labour. According to Equiano, “we were not many days in the merchant’s custody before we were sold after their usual manner…” (Hunt & Martin et al., 2012 pg.78). Further, slavery was conducted according to color or race, and people of color were subjected to medical experiment. The Europeans explored the natural resources available and manufactured medicine that was used to treat the slaves to enable them to go back to work whenever they fell sick. However, “Thomas experiments with skin colour, however (as far as we can ascertain), exploited only enslaved African bodies (Schiebinger, 2017 pg. 28). Notably, the medicine projects utilized the natural resources that were available to facilitate science.
Lastly, history shows that enlightenment was achieved through the exploration and expansion of colonies because of the experiences obtained from different regions. Science experiments and practice influence the respective empires’ cultures (colonizers and the colonized). Every empire has its practice but is influenced by local interests. According to the article Grief and Headhunter’s Rage in the Book Culture and Truth, the vengeful nature of the author is influenced by the occurrence of local activities, including slavery. The article acknowledges that “truths of case studies that are embedded in the local context, shaped by local context, shaped local interest, and coloured by local perception (Da Silva, 1992 pg. 21). Thus, the practice of science influences the culture of the empire depending on the colonies they interact with during exploration, expansion, and colonization. Further, history shows that enlightenment is a result of “scientific demonstration or lecture, travel, or just invest in books about people in the other world” (Jacob, 1991 pg. 1). Also, the author proposes that every society has people who are enlightened beyond their cultural norms and practices because of absorbing the contemporary outcome of science that includes; “read books and journals, frequenting coffeehouses, salons, Masonic lodges, and reading clubs (Jacob, 1991 pg.1).
Conclusion
Evidence from the historical study shows a significant relationship between nature and the thematic areas of expansion, exploration, and colonization. Notably, the activities that took place in ancient times, including exploring a new land, were acts of science. Often, explorers wanted to scientifically analyze the potential of the other world for exploration. Thus, it led to the expansion and colonization of other regions. The experiences, occurrences, and scientific success, including in the medical fields, labour, culture, and economy, were significant in building European empires. Therefore, science makes empires.
References
Primary Sources
Henderson, R. W., & Powell, R. (2009). Natural history of West Indian reptiles and amphibians.
Herbert, S. (Jefferson, Alexander and Charles articles) (2011). Charles Darwin and the Question of Evolution: A Brief History with Documents. Macmillan Higher Education. (Jefferson, Alexander and Charles articles)
Rotch, A. L. (1908, April). Benjamin Franklin’s Original Letters about Balloons. In Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society (Vol. 19, p. 100). American Antiquarian Society.
Secondary sources
Da Silva, A. L. (1992). Culture and Truth. The Remaking of Social Analysis.-Introduction; Grief and a Headhunters Rage
Hunt, L., Martin, T. R., Rosenwein, B. H., & Smith, B. G. (2012). Making of the West, Volume II: Since 1500: Peoples and Cultures (Vol. 2). Macmillan.
Jacob, M. C. (1991). Living the enlightenment: freemasonry and politics in eighteenth-century Europe. Oxford University Press.
Leavitt, J. W., & Numbers, R. L. (Eds.). (1997). Sickness and health in America: Readings in the history of medicine and public health. Univ of Wisconsin Press.
Schiebinger, L. (2017). Secret cures of slaves: People, plants, and medicine in the eighteenth-century Atlantic world. Stanford University Press.
Sexual Minorities Health Action Program Free Sample
Health disparities affecting sexual minorities within the healthcare system require institutional solutions rather than patient-centered intervention. In that case, the Capstone project aims to develop work-based changes attained through an educational program that will improve the quality and access to care by the LGBTQ group addressing the health disparity challenges identified. As we achieve institutional changes, the sexual minority population must learn of the resources, policies, and personnel put in place to reduce and eliminate the identified health disparities targeting them. In that case, the Health Action Program intervention aims to improve the healthcare structural capability and address population-based needs among the sexual minority population to attain measurable outcomes.
The Health Action Program (HAP) prioritized the sexual minorities’ needs in making the requisite structural changes within the healthcare system to address the population’s health disparities. The HAP intervention is informed by Garzon-Orjuela et al.’s (2020) study, which revealed that implementing health solutions, programs, or policies aimed to improve a population’s quality of health should prioritize their needs intended to be resolved short-, medium-, or long-term basis. A patient identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or other sexual minority should be actively involved to ensure that all their healthcare needs are included in the intervention. Factors that underlie health disparities are multifaceted and encompass psychological, individual, community, and interpersonal issues (Garzon-Orjuela et al., 2020). In the case of the sexual minority group, most prejudiced attitudes and behaviors encountered within the healthcare context are informed by majority societal sexual beliefs and practices. As a result, the HAP intervention includes the community as part of a program designed to improve care quality and access by sexual minority groups. The HAP intervention identifies the healthcare system, the sexual minority group, and the community as crucial population facets to be included in addressing the health disparities affecting LGBTQ patients.
Intervention Analysis
The LGBTQ population experiences systematic health disparities influenced by misleading beliefs and attitudes about their sexual orientation. In recent years, we have seen various governmental and non-governmental organizations advocating for change in mainstream cultural belief concerning the minority population’s sexual orientation as a structural and systematic approach to addressing discrimination targeting individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, transgender, or bisexual. In my field practice, I interacted with a patient who identified as gay and learned how the group still encounters direct and indirect discrimination from healthcare providers. Also, the patient pointed out how various healthcare facilities have put care processes and procedures in place to make them invincible. To avoid trauma, the patient hides his sexual identity making it challenging for the caregiver to deliver patient- or population-specific care.
Sexual minorities are core to the Capstone project because the group is part of the underrepresented population in healthcare. Unlike other minorities and underserved populations, LGBTQ patients face multifaceted discrimination within and outside the healthcare system. For instance, a sexual minority patient is cared for by a nurse conflicted between their duties to offer inclusive and non-discriminatory care with their religious beliefs that quantify LGBTQ as immoral or sinful. As much as such a nurse may try to be neutral in their interaction with the patient, their attitude can betray them committing acts of health disparities in the process. In that case, I choose the LGBTQ population because patients who identify with the group are likely to delay or avoid seeking medical care due to stigmas from the various health disparities experienced within the healthcare context. The project prioritizes educating healthcare workers concerning the various needs and healthcare challenges encountered by sexual minorities within the healthcare context. Attaining the proposed structural changes, subjecting nurses and other healthcare workers can learn of the established health disparities and use the information to change discriminatory attitudes and practices crucial for creating a friendly and inclusive environment for the LGBTQ population. Also, the HAP intervention aims to address these health disparities by educating the sexual minorities population on the significance of healthcare utilization crucial for improving their visibility among caregivers.
When one belongs to a minority group, the fear of being misdiagnosed, discriminated against, or misunderstood is common. Sometimes, the healthcare provider is not at fault because the patient withholds vital information for their treatment. An LGBTQ patient is likely to hide their sexual identity from a caregiver to overcome discrimination and, in the process, negatively affect their clinical diagnosis and treatment. The HAP intervention aims to eliminate misunderstandings and other health disparities affecting the sexual minority. The problem is relevant to nursing in eliminating various health disparities that inform sexual minorities’ decisions to delay or avoid seeking treatment when they become ill. Also, the problem is relevant to the LGBTQ population in informing their decisions in seeking quality care by outlining an inclusive healthcare system poised to address their various healthcare needs, irrespective of one’s sexual orientation.
Role of Leadership and Change Management
Leadership plays a central role in the implementation of the HAP intervention. According to (Figueroa et al., 2019), Healthcare systems evolve to adapt to epidemiological, demographic, and societal shifts. The population’s change in sexual orientation is one of the shifts within the healthcare system that requires leadership intervention to be integrated into affiliate facilities. Leadership is responsible for the approval of HAP intervention before implementation. Without the leadership approval, the intervention will remain theoretical, making it impossible to address the identified health disparities affecting sexual minorities. The leadership is responsible for approving the resources and personnel needed to implement the HAP intervention into practice.
Regarding change, leadership provides strategic support to guide multiple actors within the healthcare system to improve standards or solve a problem. Effective leadership is required to facilitate change and attain results by mobilizing and utilizing healthy employees and other resources (Figueroa et al., 2019). In that case, the leadership strategies and standards will guide each activity and change listed in the HAP intervention. The nursing ethics will ensure that all the health actors participating in the program do not engage in unethical practices like acting in a manner that promotes the identified health disparities. Also, nursing ethics ensure that the rights of all people participating in the project are respected. The aim is to integrate care practices, policies, and professional standards that improve sexual minorities’ access to quality care.
Communication Strategies
Effective communication is a two-way process between a nurse and the patient. However, for desired clinical outcomes, patient-centered communication guarantees desired outcomes. For nursing practices and procedures, patient-centered communication is central to ensuring optimal health outcomes by enhancing collaboration between the caregiver and the patient (Kwame & Petrucka, 2021). In this case, conducting patient-centered communication where the sexual minorities’ needs are prioritized over other caregivers’ interests fosters the relationship between health practitioners and the target population. Besides, integrating therapeutic communication skills and practices improves the relationship between nurses and patients. Kwame and Petrucka (2021) research established that patients feel happy and satisfied when nurses communicate efficiently with warmth, empathy, and respect. However, disrespectful communication, where patients are allowed to ask questions, results in distancing themselves from the healthcare system. Therefore, therapeutic communication skills are crucial to enforcing the collaboration needed to make the HAP intervention program a success.
State Board Nursing Practice Standard
The HAP intervention adhered to the existing state nursing practice standards to ensure participants’ rights were respected. The intervention primarily relied on educational tools of enlightenment and proved instrumental in developing and implementing this project. In that case, the state nursing standard enhances collaboration between healthcare institutions, nursing schools, and the community to enhance patient safety and quality of care informed by the intervention (Huynh & Haddad, 2022). Research shows how clinical learning experiences are integral in improving the overall health outcomes of a patient or population, especially in the sexual minorities group.
Health Action Program (HAP) Intervention
The Health Action Program (HAP) aims to eliminate health disparities affecting sexual minority groups. Garzon-Orjuela et al. (2020) stressed that implementing health policies, interventions, and practices prioritizing the target populations’ needs improves health outcomes. The HAP intervention prioritizes the sexual minorities’ healthcare needs, including discriminatory beliefs and practices, structural and communication barriers, existing decisions to forego or delay treatment, and other issues affecting the population. By improving equity and equality within the clinical setting, the intervention enhances patients’ safety and improves the quality of care sort by the sexual minority group. Also, creating an inclusive care environment avails cost-effective channels like population-specific health insurance coverage for sexual minority patients. The project relies on healthcare data to measure the efficiency of the project to eliminate health disparities affecting the population. After three months, the number of sexual minorities treated in the healthcare facility will indicate the success of the HAP intervention.
Technology, Care Coordination, and Community Resources
HAP intervention relies on technology, care coordination, and community resources to address health disparities and problems affecting the sexual minority groups’ access to quality care. Patients who identify as LGBTQ are described as invisible to the care necessitating the need to design and improve a population-based healthcare system to address the identified needs (Roe & Galvin, 2021). Technology plays a central role in improving the visibility of sexual minorities within the healthcare context. For instance, mobile health apps eliminate the existing physical barriers of fear that makes the population delay or avoid health care when they get ill. Care coordination creates an inclusive and caring-friendly environment for sexual minorities to seek medical help. Community resources enhance sex-inclusive beliefs and attitudes to integrate and accept the sexual minority group into the mainstream culture, reducing discrimination based on sexual orientation.
References
Figueroa, C, A., Harrison, R., Chauhan, A., & Meyer, L. (2019). Priorities and challenges for health leadership and workforce management globally: A rapid review. BMC Health Services Research, 19(239), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4080-7
Garzon-Orjuela, N., Samaca-Samaca, D, F., Angulo, S, C, L., Abdala, C, V, M., Reveiz, L., & Eslava-Schmalbach, J. (2020). An overview of reviews on health inequalities. International Journal for Equity in Health, 19(192), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-020-01299-w
Huynh, A, P., & Haddad, L, M. (2022). Nursing Practice Act. StatPearls Publishing.
Kwame, A., & Petrucka, P, M. (2021). A literature-based study of patient-centered care and communication in nurse-patient interactions: Barriers, facilitators, and the way forward. BMC Nursing, 20(1), 1-10, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-021-00684-2
Roe, L., & Galvin, M. (2021). Providing inclusive, person-centered care for LGBT+ older adults: A discussion on health and social care design and delivery. Journal of Nursing Management, 29(1), 104-108, https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13178