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Morphine and pain in Hospice
Morphine and pain in Hospice
Name
Institution
Morphine and Pain in Hospice
Morphine is one of the medications used in hospice and palliative care as a pain medication for patients mostly in incidences where other medicines and analgesics have fail to aid in alleviating or reducing the pain and suffering of the patient. The use of morphine is a practice that most hospice care facilities have advocated for as it is good pain control for terminally and chronically ill patients who are suffering and are faced with near death. Morphine use in hospice is a practise that is mostly recommended by physicians or medical practitioner only with the aim of relieving the dying patients by handling those symptoms. It is an opioid medication that is applied to patients suffering from cancer and other serious ailments that result to severe physical pain.
The issue of morphine and pain in hospice is crucial and has received much attention from society and more so, the stakeholders in the medical sector citing that it have become essential. Bearing in mind that hospice care is all about alleviating pain and allowing the dying patients to die with dignity, then the two parties, society and medical as well as health care providers, have had to come to term to the extreme measure of taking up the use of these drug to achieve the goal, which is, less or no pain as the terminally ill patient nears his or her death. It has been noted that poorly managed pain for terminally and chronically ill patient is one of the greatest fear and in most cases may result to the untimely death of the patients in instances where there body systems cannot handle the pain the arises from the ailments and symptoms that the patients possess. This therefore makes the use of morphine in dealing with pain for terminally ill patients who are in hospice care very essential and ultimately important to both the dying patients as well as their family member who wish to spend time with their ailing family members without worrying much about the pain that they may be suffering (Hester, 2011).
There are two main ways of administering morphine medication, one being orally and the other being intravenously. The most common form used in hospice and palliative care is the oral morphine solution as it is easy give. This form allows large doses of morphine to be given but in small amounts of the medication as it is quite concentrated. This works best for patients that are unable to swallow pills due to their sickly conditions. The oral solution works considerably fast and begins to take effect in a span of fifteen minutes and lasts for a maximum of four hours. It is quite effective in pain control and can be used often though the only major issue for this is the bitter taste of the solution as it is recommended that it ought not to be mixed with other liquids. This oral solution is given by a dosing spoon or a dropper provided at a pharmacy and ought to be taken accurately since it is very concentrated and an overdose can be detrimental (Maul, 2010).
The morphine medication can also be taken in the form of capsules or tablets that are in rapid release and extended release formula and works just as the oral solution, within the time span but are recommended only for patients with continuing moderate to severe pain. The other forms of delivery are by use of an injection into the body muscles or intravenously though these two approaches are heavily depended on the availability of a medical practitioner to administer it effectively and with no complications. These two approaches are only recommended in instances where the patients are in too much pain and hence their bodies need a continuous supply of the morphine drug so as to handle the pain, as is the main ain of being in hospice care (Bruera et al, 2011).
Though the use of morphine has been adopted all over the world and used to handle pain in the medical field as well as in hospice care, there have been numerous concerns on the side effects that the drug may have on the patients. Some of the side effects are drowsiness experienced by the patient and in some instances; there occurs the slowing down of the respiratory rate which may prove detrimental if it reaches the extreme level of stopping the patients breathing. This brings up the issue that is based on the principle of the double effect. This can be explained as a medical concept in which medication administered is beneficial as well as detrimental. In the case of morphine, the medication serves to alleviate pain but also, it has the capacity to lower the patient’s respiratory rate to the point of respiratory depression that may result in an unintended death. This therefore required that that use and administration of the drug be keenly and strictly controlled in amounts given to patients so as to avoid such happenings from taking place (Pattinson, 2011).
Despite the ethical concerns raised above, the importance of morphine use as a medication to alleviate pain for patients in hospice is crucial and cannot be ignored. Such issues can only be addressed adequately by medical practitioners and researchers being more deliberate in finding a way in which the side effects can be minimised if not eliminated completely so as to achieve a workable solution of handling the pain and suffering of terminally ill patients that are in hospice care.
References
Bruera, E., & Yennurajalingam, S. (2011). Oxford American handbook of hospice and palliative medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Fishman, S., Ballantyne, J., Rathmell, J. P., & Bonica, J. J. (2010). Bonica’s management of pain. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.
Hester, J. (2011). Interventional pain control in cancer pain management. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Mauk, K. L. (2010). Gerontological nursing: Competencies for care. Boston: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Pattinson, S. (2011). The final journey: Complete hospice care for the departing Vaishnavas. Badger, Calif: Torchlight Pub.
Achievement Reflection
Student’s name
Instructor
Course
Date
Achievement Reflection
In studying this course, I have learned so much, especially with regards to writing, history, and government. This course has helped me improve my writing skills and make sure that my papers are properly cited. For example, I understood what it means to use MLA citation in a more precise way. Therefore this is not just going to help me in my whole academic life citation. Still, it is also helping me present ideas and thoughts of other people I have read in the most reasonable way possible and avoid plagiarism or copyright issues. The issue of citation has been predominantly significant to me. It has helped me be better in my academic writing, as plagiarism is one of the worst academic mistakes a person can make. With my citation skills, I am a better person willing to use the skills anywhere I get the chance to.
Career Development Plan Part III— Performance and Career Management.
Career Development Plan Part III— Performance and Career Management.
HRM 531
University of Phoenix
The company is moving forward with the implementation of its concept of full-service cleaning solutions packages for organizations and clients in the health care industry. After the merger, I completed the job analysis and selection of my Sales team and also developed training and mentoring program. In continued compliance with the directives of the organization, I will create a performance and career management program for the sales team. A career management plan is critical to employee growth and development and will assist in providing an understanding of current performance levels, individually and as a team. It will also aid in improvements in work habits to maximize job accomplishments. Performance management requires a willingness and commitment to focus on improving efficiency in performance.
A positive and constructive feedback is the key when supporting an employee desire to perform well. Feedback is given in regard to client transaction experiences to provide a measurement of employees’ performances against standards set through the job analysis and organizational goals. By creating an appraisal form for each employee allows me to “observe the player’s performance, make an appraisal of it, and then provide real –time feedback to build sound habits and eliminate unsound ones.”(Cascio, 2005)
For the employees to reach a higher level of performance timeframe should be specified and goals should be observable and measurable. Simply asking a sales team member to increase customer satisfaction is not enough, but how to increase this satisfaction should also be stated or explained. One reason for an appraisal is to improve performance level, so I will determine the employee’s strength and weaknesses and also reinforce on existing behaviors that are deemed to be strong.
Rapidly changing job skill requirements and a shortage of new entrants force employers to regularly offer education and training program. I will sit down with each Sales team member and design IDPs that will assist them to reach desirable goals, assess their particular strengths and weaknesses, and evaluate plan progress at InterClean. Promotional opportunities will be given to those who continue to exceed their sales goals, and meet with exceeding Performance Appraisals. Tuition reimbursement plan for those who attend school, college, or university criteria to participate is to meet all requirements stipulated by the company and different departments. Training for the Sales team is mandatory to enhance their sales skills. These mandatory training will ensure they stay current with sales forecast and policy as well broaden their knowledge on new industry standards. These trainings will be a combination of Computer Based Training (CBT) and classroom training sessions.
In recent years, the number of dual career partners has increased substantially and is often a critical component to the hiring employees, or in our case a merger. As a manager, I am aware of the importance of being supportive of dual-career families. The opportunity of having a flexible schedule for the sales team will be an added advantage for those with families given the opportunity to flexibly schedule their hours. Additionally, they will be given the opportunity to work from home on a part-time basis. The organization itself is looking into the possibility of opening an on-site daycare that would be made available to the sales team.
The Sale team is made up of a very diverse set of employees. The team consists of Hispanic, African American, Asian, and Caucasian, the team is also made up of both males and females. The age groups of the employees includes: early career (25 to 35), mid-career (35 to 55) and late career (55 and older). Management and each team member will receive cultural diversity training. Mentors are assigned to the early career twenties to thirties employees. They are placed in career advancement paths. The mid-career employees are given increased responsibility within the team. Also employees in the mid-career and late-career groups are encouraged to develop and increase his or her knowledge of technology. The mid-career and late-career employees act as mentors.
The process of appraising, rating and feedback allows for clear and concrete goal setting. The cost of the process and employee offerings far outweighs the cost of doing a mediocre job of employee development and career planning. With concise goals and managers that assist in employee development a strong workforce is being developed within InterClean. There are many benefits to assisting the Sales team with their career plans. We have a workforce that is staying with the company for longer period of times, more knowledgeable about many departments within the company and more loyal. We have workers that are telecommuting, getting more work done at home than at the office.
There are also many costs that are avoided with having a stronger workforce. These costs are associated with the lack of employee development and career planning. Employee retention and turnover is one of the largest costs to a company. In an industry average we see that employee turnover has a great impact. “These calculations will easily reach 150% of the employee’s annual compensation figure. The cost will be significantly higher (200% to 250% of annual compensation) for managerial and sales positions.” (Bliss, May) Retraining employees to work in another department allows them to share and expand their knowledge and eventually make for a stronger company. “While it is true those sales and other financial statistics determine the success of a company, what most people overlook is the fact that employees are among the most important determinants of the success of a company.” (Icles, Apri).
References:
http://www.engr.washington.eduhttp://ezinearticles.comCascio, W. F. (2006). Managing Human Resources:
Bliss, W. G. (May 9, 2010). Cost of Employee Turnover. Retrieved from http://www.isquare.com/turnover.cfm