Thursday, October 31, 2019

Hourly rounding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hourly rounding - Essay Example The theory argues that behavior is a vigorous balance of forces that function in contrasting directions (Kaminski, 2011, p.1). Through the unfreeze concept of the change theory, the staff will go through preparation for change; thus, accept the need for change (Kaminski, 2011, p.1). The author argues that unfreeze concept then leads to change among the stakeholders; hence, the refreeze stage (Kaminski, 2011, p.1). The execution of the hourly rounding plan is created in a way that sees to the implementation of the change theory through improving on the aspects that enhance patient contentment and also to transform the ideals and culture of the hospital. This theory will also be functional in forecasting on delivery of care and assessing the phases involved in the series of planning, the actions involved and an assessment of outcomes of the action by the staff (Kaminski, 2011, p.1). Lastly, it is palpable that patient falls is a calamity that has cost the health sector a great deal. It is also perceptible that a lot of resources have been shifted to a reduction of patient falls. In order to trim down the implications of this adverse event, it is evident that hourly rounding needs to be adopted. From the work, hourly rounding will undeniably lead to a turn down of these falls; thus, a cutback in the costs involved in managing the falls. It is recommended that the health institutions resolve the degree to which they apply hourly rounding as a remedy to patient falls in their workplace. This correlates to the verity that, it is the duty of the hospital managers to make sure that the health institutions take on hourly rounding as a tradition of the health facilities if patient falls have to decrease. With research authenticating the reliability of hourly rounding in decreasing patient falls drastically, it is the exclusive liability of the hospital managers, thus, to adopt the same in intervening on the concern of patient falls.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Personal Protective Equipment in Safety and Health Essay Example for Free

Personal Protective Equipment in Safety and Health Essay This involves imposing a barrier (physical barrier or distance) between the hazard and the worker. Local and General Ventilation is used to dilute or divert toxic contaminants from the workers. ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL Safe operating procedures (SOP), Shift work and training of workers can reduce the risk to the workers handling chemicals. PERSONAL PROTECTION EQUIPMENT If it is not possible to reduce chemical hazards to an acceptable level, by either elimination or guarding/isolation, the worker should be given certain protective equipment to prevent contact of the hazards with the body. This equipment forms a barrier between the toxic and the route of entry. Failure of equipment means immediate exposure to the hazard. Thus, personal protective equipment should not be regarded as a primary means to control hazards but rather as a supplement to other types of control measure. Injury will occur if hazards come into contact with our body, the degree of injury are depends on the magnititute of hazards and susceptibility of person. Protective clothing, gloves, apron, goggles and shoes – design to prevent absorption of chemical splash to the skin ? Safety helmet-to prevent from the sharp object falling on the head The effectiveness and efficiency of protection depends on proper use, maintenance and replacement of the PPE. If the PPE not used properly it can be more dangerous than not using as the worker would think that he is protected but in actual practice he is not protected. Factor to consider in the selection of PPE PPE should be carefully selected. The following criteria should be met when choosing PPE Give adequate protection against the specific hazard i. e right type and model ? Fit , minimum weight cause minimum discomfort and , if with attachment , it should be easily fitted and removed. ?Not restrict movement or sensory perception essential to the job ? Be easily worn and the eight to be supported by body ?Be durable and harmonious to the wear1`s culture and religion ? Not introduce additional hazards ?Be made to acceptable standards ?Be maintenance fee if possible, if maintenance is required , should be easily maintained ? Be replaced when necessary Used of respirators will prevent the entry of chemicals into the body by inhalation It is frequently used in industry where other forms of control are not practicable Type of respiratory protection : Are basically design to give protection against one or more of the following . †¢Contaminants in particulate forms †¢Contaminants in gaseous forms †¢Deficiency of oxygen With Full face mask or Half face mask Powered air is drawn through by a fan Non powered – air is drawn through by wearer inhalation Particulate filter come in various classes depending on their filtering efficiency. Gas filters are available for specific gases (e. g organic vapours, hydrogen, cyanide) Supplied air respirators (SARS) ?The air is supplied is not pressurized. It can be supplied by use of a fan , compressed air source or wearer inhalation. . ?The air supplied is pressurized and comes from a compressor or gas cylinder via an air line . Pressure is reduced prior to entering the respirator. ?The air is supplied from cylinders strapped to the wearer`s back Suppliers air respirators can have a negative pressure inside the face piece or a positive pressure. The positive types give a significantly higher evel of protection . Continuous flow types are also available for use with hoods. Protection factors This is a measure of the level of protection given by a respirator is defined as the ratio between the concentration of contaminant outside the respirator and the concentration inside the respirator(i. e the air breathed) Protection factor = ambient air concentration Concentration inhaled inside respirator For air purifying respirator it depends on the type of face mask and the efficiency of the filter. A full mask provide a higher level of protection than a half mask. For supplied air respirator it depends on pressure inside the mask(as well as the type of mask) . The protection factor is a major consideration when selecting a respirator. Selection of respirators; depends on:- †¢The contaminant †¢Task †¢Operator The contaminant i. The nature ,toxicity, physical form and concentration the contaminant, whether : particulate gas vapour or combination of both ii. whether failure of the device can result in a situation which is immediately dangerous to life and health. iii. The need to wear other personal protective equipment eg. Eye or skin protection to protect against irritants. iv. The adequacy of warning given by the contaminant v. The possibility of the contaminated atmosphere being flammable. Task. i. whether the device is for regular use for emergency or rescue purposes. ii. The probable length of time during which the wearer will be in the contaminated atmosphere. iii. The expected level of activity and mobility required of the wearer. iv. The access to and nature of the working environment and its location with respect to a source of air suitable for breathing. v. Vision and communication requirements. vi. Maintenance requirement. Operator factor †¢Basic physiology †¢Facial fit †¢User acceptance Fit testing is an important part of the selection process, particularly when the respirator design relies on a good seal. A range of respirators may need to be tried to fit individuals with different facial characteristics. Facial air can also reduce the effectiveness of seal significantly. Recognised test methods are available for initial fit testing. These are to design to detect or measure the amount of leakage around the seal of the respirator. Fit testing must be carried out when first issuing a respirator to a worker. Crude test (such as covering the openings and taking a vigorous breath) can be used in the field to check fit. Maintenance and storage All respirator (other than disposable types) need cleaning , maintenance and storage. Inhalation and exhalation valves need checking and replacement as do straps. Seals need to be disinfected , cleaned and check for damage.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

School Shootings: Causes and Warning Signs

School Shootings: Causes and Warning Signs The Virginia Tech Massacre, the Sandy Hook shooting, and the Columbine High School Massacre are events that people will never forget. School shootings are a rare occurrence but for the people experiencing these events time stands still, and they will never forget. This paper will look at the reasons why these events take place, and the warning signs displayed by the shooters before the event happens. This paper will also explore what the media’s role in covering the shooting events, and the preventive measures that have been made over time to combat this issue that faces schools around the world. The number one issue that faces children today is bullying in school. It is not just the face to face type of bullying that is thought of when a person thinks of bullying. Today’s youth have to face cyber bullying along with the face to face bullying at school. Roland defines bullying as â€Å"continuing, negative behavior directed toward a victim by an individual or group† (2002). Another study calls the act of bullying marginalization. They define this as the act of pushing individuals outside the realm of social significance (Mongan, Hatcher and Maschi 2009). Yet another word associated with bullying that came from Mongan, Hatcher, and Maschi’s study is what is called masculinity attacks (2009). There study was conducted on the Columbine shooting. This is a statement from a survivor of that shooting describing what was said to the two young men that committed the shooting. â€Å"Sure we teased them. But what do you expect with kids who come to school with weird hairdos and horns on their hats? It’s not just jocks; the whole school’s disgusted with them. They’re a bunch of homos†¦..If you want to get rid of someone; usually you tease ‘em. So the whole school would call them homos† (Gibbs Roche, 1996, p.48). Bullying would be a form of peer rejection. When a person is rejected by one group that they see as a positive, they may be pushed to another group that will have a negative influence or even resort to social isolation. Studies show that if a person has a strong attachment to family, peers, and school they are less likely to be an offender of delinquent acts (Curran and Renzetti 2001). They will see themselves as outcasts from the mainstream groups, and he or she will grow a large amount of animosity toward the group that bullied them. There has been some research conducted on the effects of bullying on school shooters, but bulling may be just a catalyst and not the main reason. Hann and Mays conducted a study and found that two thirds of all the offenders were bullied prior to the shooting incident (2013). Hann’s and Mays’s study does show a connection between bullying and school shooting, but also shows that the bully or bullies may not be the specific targets. They s uggest that the stats show that bullies are the targets, but then go on to say that the shooters randomly target students in the school forgetting about the bullies (Hanns and Mays 2013). They may give more weight to the theory that bullying is more of a catalyst to the shooting than a main reason. Being bullied at school can lead to indicators or warning signs that a child may be going in the wrong direction. If the child becomes very isolated from social interactions this may be a warning sign that he or she may be having problems. Mongan, Hatcher, and Maschi show the stages that a person goes through before the final act of violence. They have come up with a model called the Stages of Change Model. This informative model shows people what to look for in regards to a child’s behavior. The table on the next page shows the different stages that a child may go through before committing the school shooting. This chart is to show school administrators and parents the warning sig ns to look for. TABLE 1 Applying the Stages-of-Change Model to Youth At Risk of Committing a School Shooting Stages of change        Ã‚  Identifying signs: Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of at-risk youth Stage 1         Precontemplation _ Has thoughts about planning or engaging in a school shooting Stage 2        Ã‚  Contemplation _ Feels unfairly treated Has ‘‘grandiose’’ ideas of getting back at the school or others Stage 3        Ã‚  Preparation _ Weighs the pros and cons of attempting a school shooting Has morbid fantasies of death Develops a plan of attack Stage 4        Ã‚  Action _ Commits to follow through on plan_ Withdraws from others_ Obtains weapons for attack Stage 5        Ã‚  Maintenance _ Establishes a plan and sets a date for the attack_ Spends time rehearsing plans (i.e., thinking about it or practicing) Stage 6        Ã‚  Termination _ Feels attack is justified_ Completes the attack (murder and/or suicide) (p.639) These warning signs are used to help prevent a possible shooting. Other issues that may also push a child to delinquency or other crimes may include abuse in the home. If a child is already having a tough time at school, and then he or she goes to an abusive home life this will have a negative effect on the child. He or she may also have a personality disorders that have an effect on the delinquency, and this can often lead to suicide (Hann and Mays 2013). Violent movies and music have also been linked to violent behavior along with interest in firearms and bombs. Other psychological problems including depression, impulse control, or sadistic tendencies have been linked to school shooters (Hann and Mays 2013). Another argument that is being made is the accessibility of guns in the United States. Hann and Mays study points out that this is a major factor in the person’s ability to commit the act of a school shooting (2013). However, Mongan, Hatcher, and Maschi (2009) point out about the availability of guns in America that, â€Å"school shoo tings have also occurred in countries that employ strict gun control laws, and school shootings did not begin in America until 1966 even though there was a pro gun culture† (p637). When these types of events take place people want to place the blame on someone or something to achieve closure. This is when the blame game starts and blame is pushed from one person or thing to another. According to Hann and Mays parents are often at least partially to blame for the shooting then followed by teachers and school administrators (2013). However, there is another source that many people place at least some blame too and that is the media. The media coverage of school shooting is very highly scrutinized among the victims and researchers alike. Some researchers put a lot of blame on the media for their coverage of these events. The people who make these claims seem to believe that the media’s coverage of these events cause â€Å"copy cat† school shooters. Hann and Mays point out that school shootings did not attract the media attention before 1997 as they do now (2013). The first major event that got the media coverage that Hann and Mays are speaking of is the Columbine shooting in 2001. It was the worst high school shooting of the time killing 12 students and one teacher and is believed by some to inspire others to commit similar crimes in different parts of the United States (Hann Mays 2013). A study was conducted by Haravuori, Suomalainen, Berg, Kivirousu, and Marttunen to see what impact the media coverage had on adolescents traumatized in a school shooting. This study was conducted on 231 students aged 13-19 years in Finland. A similar study was conducted on students at Virginia Tech after that shooting. There were three types of journalistic behavior experienced during the media coverage of both events. These behaviors included behaving badly, media mod, and displaying compassion. Both studies concluded that that being approached by the media and being interviewed had a negative effect on posttraumatic distress (2011). Most media outlets would say that they were doing what the people want them to do and that is to report the news, and something as big as a school shooting would need to have extended coverage to get all that needs to be reported. They would also argue that they show great sympathy for the victims and their families. Where the issue lies for the researchers is when the extended coverage becomes too extended. Hann and Mays suggest that the media coverage prolongs the grief found in the communities that experience these tragedies (2013). What is meant by that statement is that the media prolongs the grieving process in that the people have to relive the event every time they step out their door or turn on the television. The researchers say that media needs to stick to just the facts of the situation and not over do the coverage with needless information. The entire how, why, and the target selected may spark another school shooting at another location according to the researchers. The prevention of these types of crimes has to be combated early before the crime even happens. Parents, teachers, and school administrators need to see the warning signs early to prevent these types of crimes in their communities. The majority of the effort should be placed on prevention. According to Hann and Mays (2013), â€Å"In almost all shootings there were signs that the shooter or shooters might be preparing for this violent act. Over 90% of the shootings studied were planned at least 2 days ahead, and most of these shootings were discussed by the perpetrators via social media shortly before they occurred† (p.52). They also say that the media needs to tone back on the coverage of school shootings to help prevent other possible shootings (2013). Another possible prevention is schools suspension practices. If a child is suspended from school then that child may not have the proper supervision at home. If a child is already displaying warning signs of a possible delinque nt then this type of punishment will only aggravate his or her already fragile condition (Hann Mays 2013). Hann and Mann state that some school districts have created crisis management teams to deal with possible school shootings. Mongan, Hatcher, and Maschi conducted a nationwide survey in 2007 that concluded that, â€Å"6% of students had carried a weapon on school property† (p. 635). They suggest that the policies that schools have in place that deal with carrying weapon on their campus is not enough and that better measure need to be in place to help prevent and combat the issue of school violence. Schools need to provide workshops to educate on the stages of change model (Table 1) and how it applies to school violence, and instituting and formal referral process in the schools (Mongan, Hatcher, Maschi 2009). Almost all of the authors of articles that deal with school shooting do say that more steps need to be taken to prevent these acts of violence from happening. These authors contend that due to the violent nature of these crimes and the negative effect that it has on our society that stronger measures need to be implemented in our schools. School administrators and parents need to look for the warning signs that the child displays, and they need to have a reporting system in place that will handle the problem before it escalates. They also say that the media needs to scale its coverage back to limit the amount of time it takes for the community to heal. Media outlets need to be aware that they may inadvertently spark a copycat school shooting at another location with the extended coverage that is given to these types of events. A group that has studied school shootings has produced a chart that shows the different stages of progression that a possible school shooter may go through bef ore committing the act. They suggest that schools have workshops for parents and teachers to help with seeing the warning signs before they get out of hand. References Curran, D.J., Renzetti, C.M. (2001) Theories of Crime (2nd ed). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn Bacon. Center for the Prevention of School Violence (2002, May). Just what is school violence: New brief. Retrieved November 21, 2008, from http://www.ncdjjdp.org/ cpsv/index.html Center for Disease Control. (2008). Understanding school violence. Retrieved November 21, 2008, from http://cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/YVP/SV_FactSheet.pdf Gibbs, N., Roche, T. (1999, December 20). The Columbine tapes: In five secret videos they recorded before the massacre, the killers reveal their hatreds-and their lust for fame. Time, 154(25), 40- 51. Haan, P., Mays, L. (2013). Children Killing Children: School Shootings in the United States. Social Work Review / Revista De Asistenta Sociala, (4), 49-55. Mongan, P., Hatcher, S., Maschi, T. (2009). Etiology of School Shootings: Utilizing a Purposive, Non-Impulsive Model for Social Work Practice. Journal Of Human Behavior In The Social Environment, 19(5), 635-645. doi:10.1080/10911350902910583 Reddy, M., Borum, R., Berglund, J., Vossekuil, B., Fein, R., Modzeleski, W. (2011) Evaluating risk for targeted violence in schools: Comparing risk assessment, threat assessment, and other approaches. Psychology in the Schools, 38, 2, 157‑172. Roland, E. (2002) Bullying, depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts. Educational Research, 44, 55‑67.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Search for the American Dream in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman :: Death of a Salesman

Search for the American Dream in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman What is the American Dream? Some believe in the nineteen fifties ideal created through television. Successful children, perfect families, and a happy stay-at-home mother are all associated with this version. Yet, everyone knows that the children are not always successful, there are family fights, and not every mother can be at home and happy. Many families have lifelong searches for the ideal American Dreams and never find one. These types of families are seen as failures. One family in this type of search is represented in Death of a Salesman through Willy, Linda, and their sons. Willy Loman is the first character to represent the search of the American Dream. First, Willy has a strong belief of the American Dream because of his brother Ben. "Why boys, when I was seventeen I walked into the jungle, and when I was twenty-one I walked out. And by God I was rich." This quote by Ben is the bases of Willy’s beliefs for his family and himself. By this understanding, Willy thinks he will never need to search for anything; it would come to him. Next, Willy instills this same belief within his sons. "Listen to this. This is your Uncle Ben, a great man! Tell my boys, Ben!" When Willy states this to Ben he wants his boys to have the same thought on life as himself. Though, like their father, the two sons are led to the idea that greatness will come to them. Finally, Willy does not ever understand his search until the end of the play. "What-what’s the secret?" Willy asks Bernard this question which shows he is still searching for the key to the American Dre am. At the end of the play, Willy believes that the only answer to the success of his family is through his death. Linda Loman is the next character to represent her search for the American Dream. At first, Linda’s search is for good family relationships. After the big plans are made for the sporting goods shop, Linda’s spirits seem very high. Everyone in her family is getting along, therefore she is happy. These little perks of happiness are enough to keep her dream alive. Then, Linda has a more true view on her family’s search. Comments like, "Your such a boy," and, "One a philandering bum," are insights on what Linda sees within her sons.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Case analysis: music juice

Rocky LU and John Wong, two friends who wanted to build a new Internet venture together, found an interesting concept in Amsterdam that they wanted to import in North America: it was a platform based on scrounging where fans could help their favorite musicians by raising money for them. The two entrepreneurs imported the core business model of the company Jellybean. Com and added a few features to differentiate themselves from the existing competitors.However, once the company was created, several problems occurred: – A new competitor, Clothespin. Net, was launched one month after Injustice, backed by a large campaign. – There were additional costs and delays on the implementation of the website. – Rocky was lacking coding skills and John didn't have any management skills. This resulted in the deterioration of the relationship between the two friends. – Two of the four revenue streams were inefficient, which lead to an insufficiency of venue. Most of the p eople had the opinion that the website presented no interests In conclusion, the fundamental problems were the lack of experience and skills from the two founders, the lack of interest from the website and the insufficient revenues. Given this situation, Musicale had several options to improve its value proposition. For example, it could improve its marketing campaign or offer more possibilities for users on Its website, like voting for his favorite artist or raise money or movies or books.These solutions would help the website to have more users, which is the fundamental element of the concept of scrounging. For my part, I think that they could take advantage from the help of an outsider. For example, they could contact venture capitalist or business angels. With their experience and knowledge, they would give great advices to the two young entrepreneurs. Moreover, It Is an opportunity for Rocky and John to obtain financing for their startups.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Damani Harris Essays - Kikuyu People, Memoirists, Ngg Wa Thiongo

Damani Harris Essays - Kikuyu People, Memoirists, Ngg Wa Thiongo Damani Harris 2/4/16 Intro to Afro American Studies Framing Question #1 How do we undertake the study of the African experience? Abstract: We undertake the study of the African experience through the history of African people and by evaluating time periods in order to make sense of the African experience. We have to know the origin of our people and understand what they knew so we can explain what is happening today. We also have to understand the dismemberment of Africa and how that affected African peoples cultural identity. Critical Review of Scholarship: In order to answer Framing question one, I decided to pull sources from Ngugi WA Thiong'o Something Torn and New and Gregg E. Carr's towards and Intellectual History of Africana Studies: Genealogy and Normative Theory. I am going to use these two books as my sources because they have helped me understand the African Experience. From the book Something Torn and New, I am going to talk about the importance of identification. As I was reading the book, I realized that African people had to adapt to their new life during the diaspora in order to keep their heritage alive. From the book towards and Intellectual History of Africana Studies: Genealogy and Normative Theory, I am going to talk about how African people maintained their "self" throughout history despite the hardship that they been through and will go through. Both of these books were able to help me answer framing question one because they both gave me a deep insight on the African experience. I understand that the African experience is a journey with struggles, hardship, beauty, and love. African people were and still are over coming obstacles in order to exist. Both books were very helpful but at times were very confusing. Thiong'o book Something Torn and New successfully brought in native stories and history to describe the African experience. However, I noticed that some of the stories the book used as examples did not fully help me relate it back to framing question one. Carr's book Towards an Intellectual History of Africana Studies: Genealogy and Native Theory successfully taught me what methods to help better understand the African experience; what is right and wrong, and family. However, the theories stated were not explicit so it was difficult to fully understand what the text was trying to say. Discussion: In order to successfully undertake the study of the African experience one has to know the history and dismemberment of Africa. It started during the colonial period of Europe when they came to Africa in search of workers for their voyage to the new world. The book Something Torn and New explains how the dismemberment began and the affect it had on the African people. On the 6 of Something Torn and New, Thiong'o writes "The dismemberment occurred in two stages the African personhood was divided into two halves: the continent and diaspora," to explain how this act affected both Africans that stayed in Africa and those that were sent away. The Africans that were forcefully removed from their home country were stripped from their identity and as a result, they lost touch with their roots. Another way to understand the dismemberment is to know how Africa people were stripped of their language. To undertake the African Experience is to know how the loss of language affected a person's cultural identity. On page 17 of Something Torn and New, Thiong'o writes "It is terrible to have another's language imposed on upon one but acceptable to impose ones language on another it is the right of the conqueror." He writes this to describe how the Europeans made African people speak and understand their own language. Europeans preformed "Linguicide: language liquidation" (Ngugi wa Thiong'o pg. 17), they knew if they allowed the Africans to speak their own language and practice their own culture, then African people would have rebelled and find a way back to their homeland. So by taking away the Africans ability to communicate about their old lives, they had to soon forgotten their own culture and was forced to adapt to their new way of life. Another way to undertake the African experience is to track through the history of African people. Next,