How To Earn a Patient’s Trust

Most sick people don’t want to be admitted to the hospital since they do not have enough trust towards the health care team. They consider a lot of things when choosing a health care provider such as emotional, personal and financial factors. Doctors, nurses, and other parts of the health team should also bear in mind that when the patient decides to seek care from them, it simply means that the patient also decided to trust them.

Trust plays a vital role in doctor-patient relationship. Without it, patient care will be compromised. So, the question here is how to earn patient’s trust? In this article, we will talk about some powerful notes on how to gain a patient’s trust.

Establish Rapport
Patients admitted in the hospital have very low self-esteem and they have the fear of the unknown. In addition, they have fears over malpractice and other medical error. First thing to do to lessen their anxiety is to build and establish rapport. In this way, patients will slowly build trust towards the medical team.

Provide smooth and unique patient care experience
The main reason why patients seek hospital care is that, they want to be treated and cared professionally. They are counting for the best medical service that doctors and nurses can deliver. One way to provide the best patient care is to give clear safety instructions about medication and other medical procedures. The health team should understand that the patient needs extra care.

Practice Empathy
Healthcare providers should also think about the feelings and emotions of the patient. If the patient will feel good about the care being provided, doctors and nurses will have a positive outcome of care.

Be transparent
This is the best way to gain their trust is to be transparent. Tell them the truth about their condition such as the severity, changes and other useful and helpful method to treat the condition. Also, give them the complete list of pricing of service and other relevant information.

Health care providers should not underestimate the fears and anxiety of the patient. They should always remember that the trust of every patient is very important for them to deliver the care properly.

How To Become A Good RN

Most people think that the nursing profession is the hardest, most complicated and toughest job on earth. But, for most registered nurses, they feel that they are the luckiest people because they were given the chance and opportunity to touch and help the lives of the sick, needy and weak people. However, it is not easy to become a good nurse. Registered nurses have to prove that they are worthy of their profession. Experts say that good nurses can contribute to the success and stability of the patient’s condition. Most RN’s don’t just apply theories and knowledge in treating patients. They also use personal touch, empathy and care.

Read on and appreciate what it takes to become a good and effective RN. A good nurse is:

Responsible
A good nurse is responsible enough to know all her responsibilities to their patients. A nurse’s main responsibility is to assess, diagnose, plan for care, implement care and evaluate the outcome of care. A good nurse knows that there is no room for error , otherwise, they will harm and complicate the patient’s condition. In addition, a responsible nurse never fails to perform her duties even in emergency situations.

Caring
A good and effective registered nurse is open-minded, understanding and caring. They also have the capability to empathize with the patient’s situation. Generally, nurses deal with different patients and situations every day. Some of them loose their patience and focus. However, it is very understandable since some patients and family members have high and intense emotions which leads them to panic and argue with nurses. A good and effective nurse will always compose herself and will do everything to provide better care to improve patient’s condition.

Good in communication skills
Nurses know that to have a smooth and passive workplace, they should have good communication and coordination towards other healthcare team member. In order to provide the best care to patients, they should be able to communicate and listen well. Also, good nurses follow directions from their superiors and doctor’s order. Nurses that have good communication skills can prevent medical errors and can achieve great patient’s satisfaction.

These traits can help aspiring nurses to become effective. However, it should be combined with other positive behavior.

Important Roles Of A Respiratory Therapist

Registered respiratory therapists are known to apply systematic and theoretical knowledge to patients who need immediate respiratory care. It simply means that they are responsible in providing care to all patients with lung problems that are admitted in the hospital facility. They also give pertinent and truthful judgment about the patient’s condition. All respiratory therapist work and coordinate with other members of the healthcare team in treating patients with respiratory problems.

Respiratory therapists play a vital role in every hospital setting since their job is to provide care to patients suffering from lung disease and disorder. They perform different respiratory care such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, oxygen therapy, pulmonary drainage special procedures, sputum analysis, mechanical ventilation, humidity-aerosol therapy and health teachings about breathing techniques. They also work with other members of the healthcare team in the hospital setting like the emergency team, ground support, physicians, nurses, and other teams that provide intensive medical and surgical care.  However, some new respiratory therapists choose to work in special settings such as bronchoscopy laboratory, hyperbaric oxygen units and acute care respiratory unit.

They can also perform other things and work in special respiratory settings such as:

  • Pulmonary laboratory – Their responsibility is to complete important lab test and know the exact condition of the patient’s lung.
  • Air or ground units – Respiratory therapist provide care to critical patients outside the hospital facility.
  • Intensive care unit – Their role is to monitor the mechanical ventilators that provides ventilation and oxygen to patients.

Furthermore, respiratory therapists have a very wide and broad scope of responsibilities in the hospital. That is also the main reason why most hospitals hire registered respiratory therapists that have the capability to provide advanced respiratory and pulmonary care to patients. They hire registered respiratory therapists who are competent, skillful and knowledgeable.

 

Distance Education For Engineering Students

Advanced technology has made distance education a good alternative for aspiring Engineers. A number of online programs are offered. Graduates from these courses are embraced by employers with arms wide open. This acceptance have grown immensely over the years due to quality of the curriculum and qualified students from online schools.

Learning engineering principles at any level (bachelors and masters) can be done online. The increasing number of colleges offering online courses has made it more accessible to get a degree while meeting other personal needs, most especially financial. Students, who pay for their studies, can work and study all at the same time. When they graduate, they won’t have to worry about landing on a job. This is because employers are less concerned of where an applicant’s degree was completed from – traditional on-campus or online. This motivates many students wanting to earn online engineering degrees.

Well, how does this work? By leveraging technology, distance education brings integrated course materials, dedicated websites, teleconferences, and chat rooms in class directly on to your personal computer or lap top – anywhere at anytime. Because distance learning lets students work while completing a degree, many have see that they can directly apply what they’ve learned on-the-job long before they graduate.

Online engineering programs are the best option for those who are looking to get a degree, or for those adults who want to go back to school and acquire master’s or an associate’s degree in engineering. The learning process is quite easy. Students learn through tools such as DVDs, recorded lectures, videos, and live streaming. Instructors give assignments or projects by posting them on virtual blackboards or send them through email, or on a virtual blackboard. Assignments may be done at student’s own time, but during exams, they will need to log into the school’s system at a particular time.

What To Look For In Senior Care Services?

The aging process can sometimes be stressful both to the elderly and their families. Senior care services strive to deliver the best care possible. They help seniors handle life’s challenges, build strong relationships, and emotionally support them as they journey through the aging period. So it is highly important to make sure that our elderly loved ones get the best care possible. Families must discuss specific qualities that would like to see in a senior care service:

  • Professional and Compassionate
    A provider that is an expert in delivering quality service to seniors should be the top consideration of families. Employees of the said service should have the heart and passion for the elderly, not juts view the job as a means of living.Seniors have different personalities and families should ensure that they match their caregivers to their individual needs and differences. When a caregiver is committed and compassionate in helping seniors, this will create a positive and strong relationship between the elderly, their families, and the care givers themselves.
  • Creative and Respectful
    Senior care providers should have a level of creativity where they can maintain an environment that keeps their patients active and enjoy activities like in a normal home setting. They should take into consideration a senior’s physical, mental and social faculties that contributes to their overall well-being.In addition, providers should demonstrate the highest degree of respect among their elderly patients. They should also understand the needs and find effective ways to enrich their lives with the work they provide.

When it comes to choosing a provider for your beloved elderly member, families should sit down, take time and thoroughly look into their options. Talking to the senior about their preferences and needs can help you narrow down this important decision.

 

Importance Of Good Communication In Healthcare Settings

According to the recent evidenced-based research results, there is really a strong and powerful relationship between having a good communication in healthcare team and patient’s satisfaction, safety and fast recovery. An expert says that “no matter how knowledgeable a clinician might be, if he or she is not able to open good communication with the patient, he or she may be of no help.” It simply means that when doctors, nurses and other member of the healthcare team can listen and provide better explanation to patients, they can prevent unwanted emergency situations such as emergency coding, wrong medication and severe health complication to patients. Furthermore, good communication among the healthcare team promotes smooth and positive working connection.

Since there are lot of cases reported about miscommunications among nurses, doctors and other team members, most hospital owners require them to have team buildings and seminars related to importance of good communication to minimize chaos and complain from patients about dissatisfaction, malpractice and ineffective healthcare team communication. Also, they are being reminded that even if they are performing well, they still need to learn more and improve their communication skills.

According to studies, patients suffer the most when the medical and healthcare team fails to communicate well. If all members of the healthcare team have good communication, they can achieve positive patient outcome and prevent situations such as:

  • Malpractice and other human errors
  • Sudden death of a patient
  • Severe complication of patient’s disease
  • Chaos within the healthcare team

Listening is still part of communication. The healthcare team must listen well to the primary complains of their patient in order to provide better diagnosis and care to them. Once they have all the important information, they should collaborate with each other to deliver the best medical care to the patient.

Discerning Nursing Homes

The United States has about 19, 000 nursing homes, and more than 1.5 million of Americans live in them. Most of the homes are owned privately, and others are operated by the government. Some are also operated by profit-driven corporations. Others are sponsored by religious and civic organizations. Different states have laws regulating the operation of nursing homes, and even require them to get license. In order to ensure they follow the law, periodical inspections are conducted.

Three types of nursing homes exist today: skilled, intermediate, and supervised. Each kind offers a particular care for certain groups of patients. In selecting a type of nursing home, there are two main things to include in the decision-making process:

Quality Care
An admirable nursing home is it matches both the medical and psychological needs of their patients with their existing resources.

For instance, not all elderly individuals require the same medical care. A study shows that a lot of relatively healthy people live in nursing homes that have excellent medical facilities. While other patients who need more medical attention live in inadequate medical facilities.

Psychologically Fulfillment
Most elderly people who live in nursing homes are still productive. Some institutions provide activities for such residents. A good nursing home encourages their residents to have hobbies and to participate in various activities and services involving them in the community.

Emotional Impact
Most families agree to put their elderly loved one in nursing homes as a last resort. Sometimes, they do so when the person’s health conditions grow too severe and the family finds it difficult to take care and keep the relative at home. For other old people, who decide for themselves to stay at nursing homes, they regard it as a final step before death.

What Are the Recommended Activities for Older People Living in the Nursing Homes?

Most elderly people who live in nursing homes still have the chance to develop their quality of life by means of joining some exciting physical and mental activities. These activities will help them in maintaining their self-confidence and self-worth.

Providing daily or weekly activities for the elderly is a biggest challenge to all nursing home staff. They have to link the activity to the personality of their residents. However, encouraging depressed senior citizens or those with low self-esteem to join the activities is the hardest part.

Nursing home staff should conduct a therapeutic activity so that the elderly people can benefit from it. In this article, we will give you the list of the recommended activities for older people living in nursing homes.

Counselling
Talking to the elder residents one by one is recommended. Nursing home staff should assess their residents about their physical and emotional status. This activity is helpful since you will know what activities they want. Senior citizens living in nursing homes have a very low self-worth since they think they are already forgotten by their loved ones. Simply talking to them will help them develop their confidence, self-esteem and self-worth.

Early Morning Group Exercise
Early group exercise is the best morning activity for senior citizens. It includes stretching, mild bouncing and kicking. Exercise provides better mental stimulation and physical activity to the elder residents. It also prevents them from having heart and lung problems. Nursing home staff can also utilize gaming consoles such as xbox Kinect or Wii as an exercise tool for people who are in wheel-chairs.

Art activities
Painting is known to be the best mental activity. It helps elderly people think actively. By doing this activity, senior residents are prevented from other mental disorder such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Painting can also relieve series of arthritis attack.

Agricultural activities
Older people are known to be good at this activity. They like to grow plants, trees, flowers in pots. Although some of the residents can no longer do this activity due to sickness. This activity promotes better mental stimulation and muscle activity.

Music Therapy
Music has the capability to uplift the mood and spirit of every person. Nursing homes should include this in their daily activity since it promotes mood relaxation. Residents can also sing and play music together since it promote bond and comfort to one another.

The Blessings of Distance Learning Systems

Distance learning systems has become a blessing to the field of education. Despite the shortfalls in technology, this alternative way of learning has becoming promising for the 21st century learners. Let’s delve deeper into the advantages of Distance learning.

  • Convenience of time and space
  • This is one of the biggest edge of distance learning. Students no longer have to drive all their way to be present in a class, physically present beside the instructor, gather study materials from the library, or gather together with other students.
  • Some students who are partly working, have time restrictions and may not study in a traditional class setting. Distance learning may provide them the opportunity to perform academics despite having work.

In addition, young adults won’t have to go far away from their state to get formal education. With various distance learning system, students can learn effectively as in a classroom.

  • Saves Money
  • Cost for online learning is much cheaper than on-campus counterparts. Students worry less since they don’t need to pay for commute, lodging, uniform, canteen, and miscellaneous school fees.
  • Online programs offer modules that can be downloaded on the computer. So, the need for bulky books will be somewhat eradicated. The cost for school supplies such as paper, pen, and notebook will no longer be needed due to the notepad feature offered free by Microsoft windows.
  • Earning while Learning
  • As mentioned, students can work at the same time study. When you have a job, you have income, and with a stable income, you are able to support your studies without plunging yourself from debt – unlike every one else.

These are some of the obvious advantages Distance learning systems can give. Efforts in improving the system is still going on, and great possibilities are to be expected in the future.

 

Technology: A Blessing and Curse to Patient Care

The combination of knowledge, experience, and skills are needed for nurses to meet the changing needs of their patients. A large demand of patient care and safety is based on the work of nurses. When care is sub par, because of certain inappropriate situations, nurses shoulder the responsibility. Having an understanding and engagement of strategies to improve quality of care and safety is paramount to a nurse’s work.

A lot of factors affect the quality and safety of care provided by nurses such as environment, organizations, and systems. When teams function well and organization structures support their work, nurses are able to perform their job better with a high intensity of care.

In the past, nurses relied heavily on their senses to monitor their patients and look for changes. As time passed, inaccurate use of senses were replaced with precision-based technologies designed to detect changes to patient’s conditions. Over time, technology has become extremely helpful tot the nursing career.

While technology has potentially improved patient care and safety, it is not without risks. Technology has been accounted for bringing a solution and added problems for safer health care. Problems may rise based on the sheer number of new devices, the complexity and careless introduction in using them.

Although billions and billions of dollars have been spent every year on medical devices and equipment, nurses has paid little attention to technological implementation and integration.

Technology also has introduced many errors and unintended mistakes. For instance the use of bar code system. Many believe that the bar coding medication administration reduces the medication errors, it was also believed to decreased physician’s ability to accurately deviate routine administration sequences.

Another disadvantage of using technology is the associated expenditure. Not all hospitals can afford high-end equipments and devices. That is why more development is needed to more effectively introduce new technologies, reducing the risk to the patient care, and stress on nurses.