Full Description
This practical toolkit informs readers of ways to ensure the right medication in the right dose, for the right patient at the right time. It covers every aspect of looking after and delivering medicines in the care home environment. The easy-to-read format, with questions and exercises for individuals and groups, makes the text ideal as a framework for teaching and accredited learning. This handbook is vital for care professionals working in residential and nursing homes, their managers and supervisors. It is also invaluable for trainee care and nursing assistants including students in further education. 'When inspectors said thousands of care home residents were being given the wrong medication - the image of a grotty, poorly run nursing home reared its stereotypical head. How could something so simple as giving a patient their daily dose of tablets be going so wrong, so many times over? But according to care professionals, management of residents' medication is one of the most complex areas of running a nursing home, and unless fail-safe practices are adhered to, the results can be very damaging to both the resident and the care worker. Clearly, it's time to sort this out!' - Roy Lilley and Paul Lambden with Alan Gillies, in the Introduction.
Contents
Introduction. How to get the best from this book. Section One. Accredited learning. What do we need to think about. What do we get wrong. Self service. Controlled drugs. A horror story. Who's job is it anyway. How do we get the medicines and what do we do with them when we've got them. Where should the medicines be stored. Controlled drugs. 'Get it right' check list - for controlled drugs. Get the house-keeping right. Taking the medicine. Made a mistake with the medicine. This is a residential home and not a prison. Got a headache. Taking the medicine. Adverse reactions. What to look out for in the patient. Section Two. Medicines record. Where are the medicines coming from. And training. Writing a protocol. The cheat's guide! Here's some technical stuff you probably don't need to know - but it will make you look very knowledgeable and super bright and it is very interesting! The medicine's act. It does what it says on the tin. Here are some important things to look-out for. Bulk prescribing. In an emergency. Here are the issues spelled out in a bit more detail. Monitored dose systems. Over the counter medicines. Safe and secure storage of medicines. OK, so what happens when you are in charge of the medicines. Controlled drugs. Keep cool. Taking the tablets. Off to the beach. When you don't need them anymore - the medicines not the resident! Residents who need oxygen and you. Oxygen. The new system is all done on the hoof. The system at a glance. Some stuff about medicines. From time to time things go wrong. Here are some things to think about. More interesting stuff! More on controlled drugs. Waste disposal. Nutrition. We are what we eat. Hand hygiene.
