Case Management in the Psychiatric ICU-The Clinical Governance Essay

Case Management in the Psychiatric ICU-The Clinical Governance Perspective - Essay Example The word Clinical Governance derives its roots from Corporate Governance, which aims at ensuring sound business and financial management. The term Governance therefore has significance in clinical practice since it addresses concerns about quality of health (Lazare 1987). Department of Health (1999) defines Clinical Governance as, "a framework through which NHS organisations are accountable for continuously improving the quality of their services and safe-guarding high standards of care by creating an environment in which excellence in clinical care will flourish". Clinical governance is aimed at improving the quality of clinical care at all levels of an organization by consolidating, codifying, and standardizing organizational policies and approaches, particularly clinical and corporate accountability (Scally & Donaldson, 1998). Clinical Governance is also explained as the ability to create an effective change in order to achieve improved quality of care. (O'Kelly,2003). It aims at ensuring that standards are adhered to and processes are mapped for continuous quality improvement Natalie Jones (2004). Its focus is on providing holistic care to patients and more than a structure, it is an ideology to be adopted and implemented by healthcare organizations. 1. There are seven key principles, commonly referred to as the seven pillars supporting Clinical Governance (Camden 2004;,South Leeds, 2005). These are explained below: 1. Clinical Audit: This refers to adherence of nationally set standards for clinical care by National Service Framework (NSF), and those set by the organization locally. Clinical audit also involves sharing information with others in the healthcare industry for benchmarking and exchange of best practices. Department of Health, Government of Western Autralia, n.d.) points out that "Clinical audit is the cyclical process of reviewing clinical performance, refining practice as a result and measuring the outcomes against agreed standards. Part of good clinical practice for generations, audit is practised at a number of levels, from regular morbidity and mortality reviews through to national studies. There are many successful examples of its application, such as the national audit of stroke, undertaken in the UK". 2. Clinical Effectiveness: Ensuring that patients get the right treatment is assurance of clinical effectiveness. This implies using evidence based medicine and keeping abreast with latest updates in medicine. 3. Patient and Public Involvement: Clinical governance emphasizes user participation. Patient's feedback to the service provided is an important precursor to quality improvement. 4. Risk Management : Optimum processes for service delivery is essential in minimizing risks to both patient and staff . Reporting of errors and lapses is a crucial step in risk management since it controls future errors. And though clinical governance places importance on robust systems to control lapses, it also recognizes that clinicians are human beings and can make errors. Recognizing the human element as an integral aspect of healthcare delivery gives great strength and wide acceptance to the concept of clinical governance. 5. Staffing and Staff Management: Encouraging teamwork and helping

International business Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International business - Movie Review Example The team shooting the documentary visited the largest U.S. landfill, known as Apex, based in Las Vegas, to show the viewers how landfills work. Then they travels to China, Beijing, and show the flip side or reverse of the story: looking into just a few of the hundreds of illegal dumpsites, which have emerged in the citys outskirts to deal with the rising waste produced by Chinas growing middle class (Hulu 1). The documentary leads to a report that is centered on advocating for recycling garbage, as well as the many opportunities it offers, whether it is plastic cans being remanufactured into textiles or waste foodstuff being repurposed into high-octane gas. According to the documentary, roughly 80% of what Americans discard into the waste system is recyclable. However, only 28% of these throwaways are recycled. This has lead to major destruction of the habitat as, for instance, waste is China is been thrown to major rivers that a used to supply water to the Chinese citizens (Hulu 1). Ways to solving these issues are easy and simply require individual effort. Each year, Americans throw plastic cups, paper, forks and spoons, which are enough to circle the equator a number of rounds. This is a lot of waste, which could simply be reduced by washing the dishes. Every American, on a yearly basis, uses approximately 1 billion shopping bags, leading to 300,000 tons of landfill waste (Hulu 1). A solution to this is through introducing reusable bags. Reusable bags will help curb this trend by reducing the 300,000 tons of wastage caused by these plastic bags. In the documentary, it was projected that 275 million tires were in unsold stocks (Hulu 1). This can cater as a breeding site for mosquitoes and a home for rodents as they keep heat. These piles also easily ignite, developing toxin-emitting, hard-to-put out fires, which can combust for months.

Homeland Security Advisory System Research Paper

Homeland Security Advisory System - Research Paper Example In line with its’ key mandate, the Department of Homeland Security developed the Homeland Security Advisory System, which according to Walsh et al. (2011), is a color-coded terrorism threat advisory scale. This present research paper mainly seeks to explore and discuss the creation, evolution, and the current state of the Homeland Security Advisory System. Creation of the Homeland Security Advisory System The Homeland Security Advisory System was formally created on 12th March 2002 after a Presidential Directive for providing a â€Å"comprehensive and effective means to disseminate information regarding the risk of terrorist acts to Federal, State, and local authorities and to the American people.† According to Walsh et al. (2011), the Homeland Security Advisory System’s color-coded terrorism risk advisory scale used to inform the public as well as other concerned authorities on the level of terrorism threat for a particular place or region at any particular time . The indicators of threat were supposed to make the public alert at any time on the level of terrorism threat that is prevalent within their present environment or the nation at large. Therefore, in case of elevated, high, or sever level of threat, citizens are usually required to be extra cautious, report about any suspicious activity, and be prepared in case a disaster strikes. For example, in case the alert level is elevated, high, or sever citizens are usually asked to avoid crowded places and be on the lookout for suspicious characters. Moreover, after the creation of the system, all security procedures within government facilities were tied to the alert level issued by the Homeland Security Advisory System. Therefore, when the alert levels is elevated, high, or sever, the security checks at government facilities are usually heightened and there is extra patrol check on these facilities. It is vital to note that the adjustments made on the advisory scale are usually made based on intelligence reports that have been gathered by the Department of Homeland Security, the Central Intelligence Agency, and other relevant law enforcement agencies (Alperen, 2011). Evolution of the Homeland Security Advisory System After its creation, the Homeland Security Advisory System was headed by Mr. Tom Ridge, who was the then Assistant to the President for Homeland Security but the task of developing, implementing, and managing the system was vested to the office of the Attorney General. However, Alperen (2011) stated that exactly after nine months since the system was created it was merged with the White House Homeland Security Council and the Department of Homeland Security, which were both created after the enactment of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. This change was seemingly meant to ensure that these two bodies work in joint co-operation to increase their effectiveness and to ensure minimum conflict between the bodies as some of their tasks overlapped which each o ther. The merge that occurred also eliminated the office of the Attorney General from the task of administering the system and it was passed on to the Department of Homeland Security, which was in a better position to manage the system than a law office that was not even part of law enforcement a

Marketing Plan for Triumph Spares Limited Essay

Marketing Plan for Triumph Spares Limited - Essay Example Our market consist of both the final consumers and the b2b selling. However, it is noted that bulk of our sales are done through b2b channel, and only 20% of our sales is made to small customers through the shop. Therefore, we need to plan a strategy that will help us widen the both sectors and will lead to increase in the profits and revenues.The company has divided its market into two segments:Business Buyers: Here the deals are made with the other business and the company keeps a margin of 50%. This is the segment where the company earns the maximum revenue and almost 80% of its sales are made through this segment. Hence, we need to understand that this segment is most important to us in terms of its size and contribution to the profit. Hence, we need to devise a policy that sustains and grows the revenues earned from this segment. In other words, we can conclude that this is a priority segment for us. We need to look after this segment and need to give it much more importance and attention than the other sector. The sales made in this sector are in bulk and hence we can exploit on economies of scale if we continue to give importance to this sector given the size of this sector.General Public: This is the other market segment; we are currently selling our products to. Here the profit margins are high but the sales volume is very low, so we cannot rely just on this segment. We need to make sure that both the segments are sustained are served together if we need to maximize our profits.

Critically discuss how THREE selected environmental tools or methods Essay

Critically discuss how THREE selected environmental tools or methods could be applied to minimise the environmental impacts of - Essay Example Wind farms with many of such structures occupy a lot of space on the landscape. Onshore wind farms are always about three kilometres away from the shoreline. The turbines in these farms are located in hilly areas since wind blows heavily on hilly areas. Wind turbines cause landscape and visual effects depending on their number at a particular area, their height, size and colour. The effects may also depend on their site tracks, buildings, their grid connection, and â€Å"transmission lines† (Murgante et al., 2011). According to Ottmar et al (2011), wind turbines have a number of impacts on the environment. These include visual impacts, noise impacts, effects on land use, and effects on the birds that live around the wind farms. In addition, there are electronic interferences and constraints on the natural reserve areas. During the construction of a wind turbine, there are some pollutants that released into the atmosphere. The wind turbines are seen to be very noisy and they ar e also unsightly, thereby interfering with the natural beauty of â€Å"the landscape.† Sustainable Development Commission (2009) disagrees that wind farms are noisy and explains that the levels of noise from wind farm is equal to the background in rural places at night. Despite their negative impacts on the environment, onshore wind farms play a crucial part in achieving renewable energy targets. However, the many advantages that come with the farms can only be realised if proper planning is done. The contemporary wind farms are mostly large and not only help in environmental conservation, but also bring a lot of benefits to the communities that live around the farms. Among the advantages of using onshore wind farms is that wind is available free of charge and appropriate technology is available to harvest energy from wind as noted by Sustainable Development Commission (2009). Moreover, although the initial costs of installing wind turbines are high, maintenance cost are rela tively low after installation. It can also be used to generate power in rural areas where there is no power connection. Given the varying impacts to the humans, landscape aesthetics and the surrounding environment that implementation of such project poses; it is critical that environmental managers employ tools to manage this impacts. Thompson (2002) lists various tools and methods that can be used for environmental management and environmental performance improvement. To manage the impacts of the 40 turbine onshore wind farm project; EIA, LCA and GIS as the most appropriate environmental management tools. EIA has been selected because it helps to predict the impacts of a project and propose mitigation measures while GIS allows environmental managers make decision based on spatial relationship of features. LCA allows decision makers to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the life cycle of the project thereby facilitating decision making. Environmental Impact Management EIA is a tool used in decision-making whose main purpose is to not only identify and evaluate the likely environmental impacts of a given project (Glasson et al., 2005). EIA is

Retaining and Attracting Staff in Organisation Research Proposal

Retaining and Attracting Staff in Organisation - Research Proposal Example Key lessons and findings would be summarised and compiled to provide a useful reference that would be of benefit for any company of any size and in any part of the world in the task of facing this global challenge. First, the characteristic of the workplace is constantly changing because of the increasing globalisation of firms, which has affected firms in several ways such as raising the level of competition, demanding better performance and productivity from employees, and requiring higher standards of innovativeness, work values, skills and attitudes. This increased competition amongst firms has been extended from the marketplace for products and services and into the market for talented employees who need to be attracted and retained with the use of increasingly innovative and effective strategies. Second, the characteristics of the workforce -current, long-term, and incoming - are changing due to several factors, such as demographics, academic and professional qualifications, and job-related expectations. As companies compete and grow, they are increasing the demand for workers in a world where the population of talented workers is not growing as fast as the rise in demand. To take an example, companies need to attract and retain the highly educated Generation Y and the highly mobile Generation X (post-baby boom) and aging baby boomers. The research study will consider these two issues using updated findings based on primary and secondary research data as explained in the next section. The basic foundational materials for the study will be four of the latest research sources on the topic of attraction and retention of staff in organisations. The first is the latest Human Resources Salary Survey 2006/2007 conducted by the Tokyo (Japan)-based global recruitment and consulting agency Michael Page International (Leithead 2007) based on their experiences in global hiring and retention with a

Meaning Behind the Mark Essay Example for Free

Meaning Behind the Mark Essay Humans have ordained their bodies with tattoos for thousands of years. These permanent and artistic marks have always had a personal meaning. The beautiful marks that were so carefully and meticulously etched onto the skin have served many purposes. The tattoo showed signs of love and inspiration while others were used to ward off danger or to protect the human from certain dangers. Some people view tattoos as unnecessary marks on the human body, while others believe the tattoo represents life, death, and inspiration. The very first documented tattoo was found on a frozen mummy in today’s Maori. The mummy was 5,200 years old. Tattoos were also discovered on ancient female mummies in Northern Egypt. At first archeologists thought the mummies were slaves or servants to royalty but, the mummies were located in a queen’s tomb. The mummies had tattooed symbols throughout the body. Speculation among the archeologists was said to be that the tattoos are a healing power and were put on the body were it hurt. The mummies in the tomb are also documented to have small dots all over the abdomen and a tattoo of a small figurine on the tops of the thighs. The small figurine is believed to be that of the Bes God. Bes is the protector of women during labor. The women would tattoo a web like design all across their abdomens and down the pubic area when they became pregnant. It is written that by doing this it would keep them and their unborn child safe during pregnancy. (Lineberry, 2008). Along with the Egyptians several other cultures took up the art of tattooing. Woman in Borneo tattooed symbols on their forearms to indicate the skill that they were good at. If a woman wore the symbol to show she was a basket weaver, her status of marriageable material increased. Markings that were placed along the wrist and around the fingers were thought to ward off any illnesses. Greeks used tattoos to identify spies and normally the marks would indicate rank. Tattoos were also used to identify slaves who were owned by certain Roman families and the Romans also used tattoos to mark criminals. Unfortunately, this practice of marking criminals is still practiced today. Century after century tattoos continued to be an integral part of society. It was not until the late 1800’s that tattoos were seen in the U. S. and even then tattoos were mainly used by the American Indians. Native American Indians used tattoos as a way of recognizing tribe members. Tattoos were also used for spiritual reasons. â€Å"In America, the earliest records of tattoos come from ship logs, letters, and diaries written by sailors in the early 19th century. The most popular designs in traditional American tattooing evolved from various artists who traded, copied, swiped, and improved on each other’s works. † ( Vanishing tattoo, 2008). Soldiers and sailors who fought in both world wars used the various symbols. â€Å"Most of the designs represented courage, patriotism; defiance of death, and a longing for loved ones left behind. (Vanishing tattoo, 2008). During the Civil war several tattoo artists found employment in Washington, D. C The best-known tattooist of the time was a man from Germany named Martin Hildebrandt; he began his career in 1846. Martin Hildebrandt traveled a great deal and was welcomed in both Union and Confederate camps. Martin Hildebrandt establish ed what is to be considered the first American tattoo studio in 1870, in New York City. Another famous tattooist is Samuel O’reilly, he invented the first electric tattoo machine. Overnight tattooing in the USA was revolutionized. Vanishing tattoo, 2008). In America tattoos continued to gain popularity. Body ornamentation was spreading among western societies. Working class men wore tattoos primarily as a symbol of tough masculine pride. In the 1950s and 1960s the hippie movement turned to Asian tattooing techniques as personal expression of spiritual and mystical aestheticism. In 1970 the young generation of the punk movement used tattoos as symbols of rebellion in a political protest against society’s strict structure and values. In the eighties there was a decline in the percentage of men and women getting tattoos. This was primarily because tattoos were frowned upon. This trend of tattoos being unpopular continued until the 21st century where, tattoos today are considered body art. The continued popularity of tattoos has placed tattooists in the category of â€Å"fine artists. † (Tattoo you, 2008). As with any fad there comes’ a downside, for certain individuals who chose to get tattoos for personal reasons or self expression there are those who chose to use tattoos as a form of rebellion. Teenagers view tattoos as a way to rebel against their parents. With teenagers their impressionable minds can take one look at all the young and upcoming celebrities and if a teenager was to see a tattoo on their role model it might just be one excuse to rebel. A different point of view on tattoos would be gangs. Gangs will tattoo members with numbers or words to show status or rank. Gang members who are in prison will get a tattoo to show other prisoners exactly what gang they belong to. Former gang members who have found religion often will sport a tattoo of a cross or the word â€Å"Jesus† and the day, month, and year they were saved. Walker, R, 2007). Individuals whose religion is important to them have also branched out and have gotten tattoos. There is a new Christian movement where young adults are getting the letters WWJD tattooed on them. In addition, the Celtic cross is making a comeback among people with an Irish decent. Among those who get a tattoo for inspiration or self expression, there are those few individuals who will go to no end to transform themselves into something completely different. Dennis Avner a. k. a. Stalking Cat, has transformed his body into a tiger literally. On his website Avner tells his story of why he has dedicated his life to follow his heritage. His parents were of Horon and Lakota tribes and after talking to a Native chief, who reportedly had told him to â€Å"follow the way of the tiger,† Avner did just that. In 1985 he left his job as a sonar submarine technician for the Navy and began his journey. Avner has spent up towards $200,000. 00 dollars to have his whole body tattooed with black and orange strips. His teeth and nails have been filed down to emulate that of the tiger. Avner also had metal rods implanted into his cheeks so during the day he can attach whiskers. Avner said his â€Å"life long dream of reaching his goal of becoming a tiger will be complete after he gets skin grafts of real fur applied to his own skin. † (Avner, 2007). Dennis Avner is not the only individual to have had extensive body tattooing. A tattooed hermit known as the Leopard man is really named Tom Leppard. Tom Leppard who lives in Isle of Skye lives in complete solitude only going to town once a month for supplies. Tom Leppard told BBC television in a rare interview that â€Å"I spent too long in the forces, 20 years. I can not mix with ordinary people any more†. (Leppard, 2007). Tom Leppard is completely covered from head to toe in leopard spots. He is according to Guinness World records is the world’s most tattooed man. There are those individuals who use tattoos as a way to make a living for instance, the â€Å"Enigma† is a man who is tattooed from head to toe in a blue puzzle pattern and he works in side shows in a traveling circus. Another performer â€Å"The Lizard man† is covered head to toe in green scales, has had plastic surgery on his face so it resembles that of a lizard, and he had his tongue surgically cut to be forked like a snake. The Lizard man works in Las Vegas as a performer. Today tattoos can be seen in every culture whether it is a little butterfly or a whole body tattoo. Tattoos continue to grow in popularity and in the future tattoos may hold a purpose other than just art. Scientists in Germany are exploring the option of delivering a new generation of experimental DNA vaccines more effectively by using tattoos rather than standard injections into the muscle. â€Å"Delivery of DNA via tattooing could be a way for a far more widespread commercial application of DNA vaccines†, said Martin Mueller of the German Cancer research center of Heidelberg. In the experiment no ink is actually used. The scientists use the tattoo machine its self o inject the vaccines. The vibrating needle penetrates the muscle deeper than a regular hypodermic needle making for a more effective method although more painful. Tattoo vaccines will not be for everyone but, will be valuable for delivering certain therapeutic vaccines to fight cancer or other serious conditions, where some pain is acceptable. ( Mueller, 2008). Also in the future Philips electronics are working on advance technology that reacts to the human touch. Sensors are applied to various parts of the body and when certain emotions are triggered the sensors react and a tattoo is made across the body. This interactive method is being designed with couples in mind. There will always be some individuals who view tattoos as unnecessary, while others will use tattoos as a way to show self expression, rebel against a parent, or to completely transform themselves. Tattoos in the future may hold the key as a way to better deliver life saving treatment. In the future tattoos can help in hance a couple’s sexuality. No matter what tattoos are used for there will always be a meaning behind the mark.