Nurse-Patient Educator

Mixing Medications: What Most of Us Get Wrong in the Disposal Process

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Mixing Medications: What Most of Us Get Wrong in the Disposal Process

Whether your doctor changed your prescription or advised you to discontinue a specific drug, disposing of them properly is an important consideration. While it may seem easy to simply throw the drugs in the trash, this is not always proper protocol, and can result in accidental poisonings or disease transmission. Always be careful when looking to clear out the medicine cabinet and keep these tips in mind.

Drug Take-Back Programs
Some pharmacies will take back prescription and over-the-counter drugs, no questions asked. Others will not. Ask your pharmacist about proper disposal procedures. Even if they cannot take the drugs off your hands, they should be able to advise you about how to safely throw them away. Proper disposal is discussed in all online pharmacist degree training, and most professionals will happily share the information with you.

Mixing Drugs with Trash
Most medications can be thrown away in the trash if absolutely necessary. Leave the pills intact and mix them in with coffee grounds, potting soil, or used kitty litter. These substances will absorb the medication and destroy it gradually while also making it unattractive to wildlife, curious pets, and anyone who stumbles across them. Seal the mixture in a plastic bag or a container you’re throwing out anyway, then include it in the weekly trash pickup.

Medications Dispensed as Injections
Insulin for diabetics, some birth control methods, some allergy medicines, and some fertility medications are dispensed as injections that patients use at home. If you have pre-loaded syringes or used needles that you need to dispose of, contact your local pharmacy for assistance, or ask your doctor if you can bring them in for disposal. These items cannot be placed in the household trash, so always be sure you dispose of them properly, and that everyone in the house knows they can’t get rid of them through the regular trash.

Inhalers
Asthma inhalers can explode if they are incinerated, which could be very dangerous for the workers if your local household trash is usually burned. If your town burns household trash, dispose of inhalers at the pharmacy or through the doctor’s office. To avoid abuse by others, make sure to empty the inhaler into the air before throwing it away.

Flushable Drugs
Some very dangerous or controlled medications should be flushed down the toilet in order to be disposed of properly. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) asks that patches such as fentanyl be flushed to rule out poisonings by someone handling the trash, and being dosed by the used patches. Powerful painkillers such as dilaudid and morphine are also best disposed of by flushing them down the toilet since an accident with such drugs could prove fatal.

Knowing how to dispose of your medications properly is crucial to avoiding accidental poisonings or disease transmission. Once you know the rules concerning your specific medications you can more safely get rid of them. Most drug take-back programs will be able to take care of any you have questions on including injections and inhalers. Don’t be afraid to ask your doctor and pharmacist what is recommended and follow the directions on the bottle. You can also throw away most by mixing in with other trash or by flushing. By following these guidelines, you can dispose of your medications safely and easily.

“Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most her time hiking, biking and gardening. For more information contact Brooke via Twitter @BrookeChaplan.”

 

Please review our certifications for nurses as well as a our Nurse Patient Educator Program.  Nurse Patient Educators can play an important role in teaching patients how to discard outdated medications as well.

Prostate cancer and treatment choices: Decision shared by doctor and patient?

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Doctors strive to make treatment decisions together with their patients – but is the decision really shared? According to researchers, shared decision-making isn’t easy, and clinicians need help. The international research group has studied the decision aids for treatment choice of localized prostate cancer.

Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Understanding the treatment plan and who is the decision maker in it is key for success for the patient.  Shared decisions can be very beneficial if guided by a competent doctor.

Certified Nurse Patient Educators can play a key role in relaying plans and how to implement them with the patient

If you are interested in becoming certified in Nurse Patient Education, then please review the program

#certifiednursepatienteducator

Which Nursing Certification Would Best Suit You?

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Find Out What Nursing Certification Finds Your Career Needs.

Every nurse knows that nursing education does not stop when they receive their RN.   You must increase your knowledge and constantly learn new technologies.   There is also the question of do you want to specialize your nursing career with a nursing certification in a specialty field?

Which nursing certification would you choose?

When looking for a nursing certification, you need to look for the best possible field to fit your career goals.    For example if you want to go into case management then you would want to look for online nurse case manager training.   Likewise for legal nurse consulting, nurse patient educator, etc.    Your next step would be choose the nursing training.

When choosing your courses do you want to physical attend classes or would online nurse training better fit your needs?   Both have positives and negatives to them.   In the end you need to decide which one would best suit your situation.

When you decide to earn a nursing certification, you will be taking positive steps to better yourself and your career.   Online nurse training is great for nurses who still need to work full time.   It gives you the flexibility your job can demand!    If you are in the market for a high quality online nursing certification then you might want to visit the American Institute of Health Care Professionals.   They offer online nursing courses in several different specialties.

5 Ways Nursing Patient Education Can Reduce Readmissions

Posted on by Dominick Flarey
Nursing Patient Education
Nursing Patient Education

The article, “5 Ways Healthcare Providers Can Reduce Costly Hospital Readmissions”, by Our Thought Leaders states

“Founder and CEO, Robert Herzog of eCaring describes how healthcare providers can reduce costly hospital readmissions to avoid costly medicare penalties.”

American Institute Health Care Professionals’ insight:
Great article! Good nursing patient education advice. It all hinges on good patient education. Recommended read for anyone in the hospital management field.  To learn more about patient teaching, click here:
patient education courses

See on www.hitconsultant.net

Nurse Patient Education Increases Patient Satisfaction.

Posted on by Dominick Flarey
Group of nurses on a roof top
Nurse Patient Education leads to higher patient satisfaction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Better Nurse Patient Education Could Lead to Better Patient Satisfaction.

The article, “Patient education improved satisfaction after surgery for ankle fracture”, by Mayich D. states

“The researchers analyzed 40 patients who had operative treatment for ankle fractures and were randomized to either an enhanced information group that received handouts with information from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons covering postoperative ankle fracture treatment and a pamphlet outlining standard physiotherapy at the institution or a standard group that did not receive the handouts.”

For the full article please go here.

Nurse Patient Education has shown improvement in ankle surgeries.   It might go without saying that a nurse educator could help improvement other areas in the medical field.    Because truth be told, the more we know about a medical procedure the more comfortable we are going to be about having it performed on us.
If you are a nurse and would like to learn more about earning a Nurse Patient Education certificate then you might want to come to our webpage.

Patient Education and How It Can Help With Compliance.

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Patient Education And Why It Is Important.

The article, “Proactive Patient Education and Engagement Helps Hospitals Achieve Stage 2 Meaningful Use Compliance”, Source; Beckers Hospital Review

“The hospital, Ms. Peacock adds, is partnering with two outpatient facilities to continue their educational outreach effort after patients go home, focused initially on congestive heart patients and patients at risk for central line infections.”

For the full article please go here.

With the growing need for quality patient education, any nursing professional looking to specialize themselves should become a nurse patient educator.    Where else can you always be in depend and serve such an important role?
For more information on becoming a nurse educator, please visit our website.

Nurse Educators: Teaching Asthma Patients.

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Asthma Patient Teaching: Information that Nurse Educators Should Teach

An older man using an inhaler
Asthma affects young and old.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Unfortunately, this does not apply to asthma patients.
Asthma is characterized by an inflammation or tightening of the bronchial tube passages. Though this can be curable, it affects more than 22 million Americans each year – 6 million of which are children. This is according to the findings of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
A typical asthma attack involves wheezing, shortness of breath, tightness or pain in the chest and profuse coughing. It occurs mostly at night or early in the morning. Recurrence of the symptoms is often a bad news, as it leads to deadly acute asthma attacks.
This is why doctors recommend attendance in nurse-patient teaching for patients to help them avoid asthma attacks.

A nursing teaching a boy how to use an inhaler
Nurse educators need to properly train patients on how to use their inhalers.

It is vital that patients understand what is going on in their bodies.
Asthma attacks often lead individuals to feel threatened and nervous, thereby reducing their oxygen supply and making the attacks worse. Nurses should then explain the reason behind these occurrences and why they happen.
It is imperative that asthma patients be educated that they have the tendency to hyperventilate during an attack. This results to low carbon dioxide content in their lungs, which is a powerful bronchodilator.
Nurse educators should show patients how to battle this out and the means at which they can normalize their breathing patterns. Acquiring ample oxygen for their body dramatically improves the situation and their health state in the long run. Studies show that when an oxygen level of 20 is achieved, asthma symptoms are alleviated – even without taking medications or using the inhaler. These findings were actually certified genuine by Russian scientists who came up with the Boteyko breathing technique (now recognized by the Russian Ministry of Health).
Patients should have a clear idea on proper medications.
Relief from acute asthma attacks can only be achieved when the inflammation of the air passages is reduced, or the constriction of the bronchial tubes is loosened. The ultimate goal is to foster more oxygen intake into the lungs to give ample supply to the heart, brain and other organs.
Medications can help when breathing exercises no longer work.
But taking the drugs should be taken with caution. Nurses should be able to teach their patients on the proper medications in alleviating acute attacks. If the exacerbation extends for more than 5 minutes, for example, patients should take 1/3 of their prescribed medicine. Breathing exercises should follow.
If this does not work, patients should take another third of the medication and repeat the breathing exercises.
The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute does not recommend that the drugs will be taken all at the same time. As such, patients and doctors should come up with pre-defined medication parameters and plans that set the ideal dose to be taken during the attack.
Nurses should help their patients to determine the factors that trigger asthma attacks.
Logically, something can be avoided by keeping out from those that cause it. This works in the cases of asthma attacks.
Patient teachings should involve an analysis of the common root of acute attacks. This would include poor air quality, cigarette smoke, pet dander and other air-borne allergens, excessive exercise, fatigue, infections, strong scent from cleaning agents, and thick air.
Nurse-Patient Educators should discuss the possible ways on how the patients can avoid these triggering factors: limiting hours inside the gym, spraying deodorizers, using oxygen tanks, or wearing face masks in crowded areas. They have to make sure that these methods will not drastically alter the patients’ lifestyle. A good asthma doctor strives to help the patients without necessarily overwhelming them.
Laying Out Signs of Acute Attacks
Just as said, acute asthma attacks can be life-threatening. There may be several ways to hamper an attack, but it is a must for the patients to call the attention of anyone who could call 911 just in case things get worst. Nurse-Patient Educators should then discuss the early signs of a significant asthma attack to allow the patients to call help promptly.
Decrease in the peak flow meter readings, immediate feeling of tiredness, and signs of allergies should raise a red flag. Sudden shortness of breath and profuse coughing should signal the need to take the patients to the nearest hospital.
If you want to earn your nurse patient educator certification then you need to visit our site.

Nurse Patient Education for Health Promotion

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Nurse Patient Education for Health Promotion

While health promotion, disease prevention and recovery information is extremely important in when providing nurse patient education, one cannot dismiss the importance of good teaching skills and motivational abilities. As a nurse educator, you will need to learn how to make good lesson plans, presentations, and patient learning objectives. You will also need to understand how to present these things with up to date technology. This may seem daunting to someone who was only a nurse but teaching like nursing is an art and science that can be learned through time. If you are already a nurse and feel a calling to teaching as well, then nurse patient education may be a field you may wish to enter. If qualified you can take courses at the American Institute of Health Care Professionals and become a certified nurse-patient educator and begin helping others in the area of health promotion and disease prevention.

A nurse helping her patient
Nurse Patient Education is about promoting better health!

If you are want to learn more about being a nurse patient educator then our site is an excellent place to start.


nurse educator

Your Patient Needs Patient Education

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Your Patient Needs Patient Education

Two nurses talking to a patient in a wheel chair
Nurse Patient Education is an important part of health care!

Within the role of a Nurse-patient educator, a nurse can find herself or himself teaching a patient about a particular illness and what that person must do to recover or prevent relapses from occurring. However, there is a lot of emphasis as well on disease prevention and health promotion. Nurse Patient educators have a unique opportunity to take health promotion and disease prevention to patients and a variety of other audiences such as schools and community agencies. They frequently work with patients individually and prepare an education needs plan based on patient assessment. They conduct the teaching for the patient and provide frequent follow up to assess the patient’s compliance to their treatment plan. If you have a solid understanding of teaching and a nursing background, you should consider becoming a nurse-patient educator. If qualified you can become certified in this field with the American Institute of Health Care Professionals and begin educating others about the importance of healthy living and disease prevention.
For more information on nurse patient education certificates please visit our site.

Patient Teaching: the New Imperative

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Patient Teaching and Health Care Professionals

It is the primary role of health care workers to inform and teach all of their patients. Patient teaching runs the gamut from primary care issues such as diet therapy, medication instructions, wound care, prescribed exercise and other issues of physical activities. The teaching role also focuses on informing the patient about their disease condition and recognizing signs and symptoms of any deterioration in their health status. It is well known that the cause of many patient’s return to a hospital is that the patient did not receive adequate teaching and care instructions before being discharged from a hospital stay. Readmissions drive up health care costs and often could have been prevented. A good patient teaching program in which teaching occurs at the bedside, is very important and health care organizations must insure these programs are in place. Of all health care professionals the nurse has always assumed the role of the patient’s primary teaching. Today, other health care professionals such as pharmacists are also coming to the bedside and teaching patients directly. This team approach helps insure that patients are learning all that they can to be compliant with their treatment plans and prevent relapses in their condition from occurring.