Ohio Nurses gain a victory for the elderly and disabled.

[liberalnurse]

We had a Hearing yesterday at the Ohio General Assembly regarding the purposed legislation to introduce the use of "Medication Technicians" at nursing homes.


Here is our press release:

COLUMBUS-The Ohio Nurses Association (ONA) applauds the grassroots lobbying efforts from its membership and the general nursing and patient communities to stop a proposed amendment to Senate Bill 196, sponsored by Sen. Lynn Wachtmann (R, Napoleon). The amendment, said to give authority for unlicensed persons to administer medication to patients in nursing homes and residential care facilities, was scheduled to be introduced this morning in the House Commerce and Labor Committee. It was not.

ONA, the Licensed Practical Nurses Association of Ohio (LPNAO) and other stakeholders fought vigorously this past week to alert members of the Ohio General Assembly of the grave risks to patient safety, especially for the elderly and disabled, the amendment implied. While termed a "pilot program" by its supporters in the long-term care industry, in reality the proposed language allowed for a two-year phase-in of statewide medication aides with few statutorily imposed directions or constraints.

"We applaud the Ohio General Assembly for refusing to rush through such a complex issue," said Jan Lanier, director of health policy for ONA. "Unlicensed persons administering medication affects all of us. We need systems in place, directed by a legislative body, to ensure that patient safety and quality of care is not compromised."

ONA was committed to an open dialogue with representatives from the long-term care industry earlier this year. According to ONA, points for discussion include the training, education and regulation of unlicensed persons passing drugs. Because of the complexity of the issue, ONA has requested continuously for a stand-alone bill as a vehicle of discussion.

"We're grateful to the nurses and patients who stood with us in our effort to oppose this last-minute amendment," said Lanier. "This is their victory. While ONA understands this issue needs discussion in the future, we're convinced that it must be open to public debate. Parties interested in this issue need to come together with members of the Ohio General Assembly in an effort of compromise and open dialogue."

ONA is the recognized advocate for nurses and nursing issues in the state, representing the over 140,000 registered nurses in Ohio. As the 4th largest state association of its kind in the country, ONA's mission is to advance the nursing profession in the service of quality healthcare to Ohioans.
#ONA#

[blondeatlast]

1. EXCELLENT!

:toast:

There's a rumble in the jungle, the natives are restless--and WINNING!

[Divernan]

2. What's good 4 the "long-term care industry" is bad for patients!

Good for you. Well done!. I battled the long term care industry in Pennsylvania for ten years. I heard many night mare incidents of abusive &/or neglectful "care" practises resulting in long term pain and suffering for their residents. Like any industry, they are focused on PROFIT. They may invest in lovely facades for their facilities - wow! what beautiful landscaping! But their profits are keyed to two areas: how little they can spend on food, and how few employees they can get by with. Understaffing results in overworked and stressed out caregivers. It also means that there is incredibly high employee turnover, as employees are better paid working at MacDonald's and only take nursing home jobs until they can find something better.
I recently witnessed one woman question the (Indian) doctor who owned and operated the nursing home where her 92 year old mother resided. The mother had suppurating bedsores on her heels. ANY bedsore is unacceptable under state regulations.
This doctor (standing beside the hospital bed of the mother- she had been hospitalized for an unattended fall, and broken her hip) shouted at the daughter, in front of four other people,
"That's just like you people! You always have to BLAME someone! She's(the mother/resident) is OLD! You have to expect this (bedsores). Things are not always someone else's fault! It's people like you who drive doctors out of business!"

Isn't it interesting that he referred to his business and not his practise? The man was incredibly arrogant and totally unsympathetic to the suffering of the older woman.

[liberalnurse]

4. Our elderly suffer as it is in these places.

They, the owners, won't spend the money on adequate bedside staff. Now, they want to save money on techs to dispense meds!!!!! I am so outreaged! I'm a great networker when there is a good fight.

Heck, I'm from Pittsburgh! You know what we are about!

I'm so glad others know what suffering our elderly endure.

[liberalnurse]

3. Here is the DU link for an activity history

of the week. The repugs tried to slip this in during the lame duck session...


We were on it!


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=172x4774

[Ian David]

5. The wave of the future- RoboNurse and RoboPharmacist

When my mom was in the hospital, they had a robot that carried pills from the pharmacy to the various nurses stations.

It cruised along the hallways, and avoided obstacles and people in its path.

Oh, and did I mention it sorts and counts the pills by itself?

It made a great dance partner.

This looks like it's the same one that was in my mom's hospital:



There are robots that sort pills.
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/living/health/7424637.htm

There are robots that deliver pills directly to patients.

But look more closely at the machines that populate her world. A hospital robot serves meals and pills to patients on complex schedules -- schedules that could lead a nurse to make mistakes. A 90-year-old man -- infirm -- uses a voice-activated robot to paint pictures and play games. Another robot sorts mail and makes phone calls for a man with muscular dystrophy.
http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi484.htm


Here's one that sorts the pills...
Robot is Rx for hospital

Phred, the new pharmacist in town, helps eliminate errors

By Janie Nelson

DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

To err is human - so why trust something as important as dispensing medicine to fallible humans?

Most of the time, Capital Regional Medical Center doesn't.

When the new hospital (formerly Tallahassee Community Hospital) opened in late August, one of its most talked-about changes was its robotic pharmacy assistant, nicknamed Phred.

"Unlike humans, robots don't judge pills by their names, shapes or colors," said Don Killingsworth, pharmacy director for CRMC, which is owned by HCA.

"You (pharmacists) have to read the name and strength," Killingsworth said. "The robot is only looking at the bar code."

According to Killingsworth, a three- to four-day supply of 650 different drugs is stored in the metal-and-glass room that houses the robot. Each of those drugs is assigned a bar code, packaged in individual doses and stored on separate rods inside the robot.

Each patient also is assigned a bar code, which is used throughout the hospital. The robot uses the patient bar code, as well as the bar codes on individual medications, to make sure they match up.

If the order is correct, the robot will use its long metal arm to pull the medication and drop an individual dose into an envelope marked with the patient's name and appropriate bar code.

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/living/health/7424637.htm

[liberalnurse]

6. Does it crush them and place the meds in applesauce too?

Does robo identify reactions? I think this is a big hype....


It is only good for alert and oriented people.....thoes who may live in a "hive collective" but not ill....


Can't blame them for trying but apparently the designer never gave medication to an ill or infirmed patient.