We've all heard over and over again how far the system of medicine, even medicine packaging has come since way back when. The mortality rate has decreased tremendously in even just the past few decades. Going to the hospital these days does not mean you are condemned to death, or to long-term care, but that you will receive professional treatment no matter what your height, weight, race, religious preference, sickness and so forth may be.
Seeing the distance we have made with all kinds of big things such as research, medication, diseases, and preventative measures, it's no wonder that we've made improvements on some of the smaller things in life as well. Things that may seem menial, but to those working in a busy hospital environment or long-term care facility, small improvements make the system that much better and easier. This small improvement on the pharmacy systems is another great way to insure great care, whether it be long-term or short-term, and improve medication errors. This small improvement of the system is called unit dose packaging.
Unit dose packaging is best described as a single dose of medication for one person. This is used a lot in long-term care facilities or in hospice cases. In an example of a long-term cared for patient, the patient may experience intense bouts of pain, so with a doctors orders the pharmacy or medical staff will draw up the specified unit dose with anticipation of the patient utilizing this medication and package it accordingly. By having unit dose packaging available to nursing staff for this patient it will be there ready with an easily identified bar code for when this patient is in dire need of pain relief, the nursing staff simply has to pull out the pre unit dose and give it accordingly. No hassling with checking a large bottle out with the pharmacy, drawing up the amount in a syringe, then double checking your math to make sure you have the right dose--it's all done for you for your patient. Thus, eliminating time, as well as, room for errors and mistakes.
Unit dose packaging has starting catching on throughout the medical field everywhere. Particularly,in the hospital setting, unit dose packaging is highly utilized. An example of unit dose packaging in a hospital setting would be you bringing your young child in to the hospital because they just split their chin open on the neighbors trampoline, and you fear they may just need stitches. You take them in to be looked at by the doctor and your fear is confirmed and your sweet little one needs stitches, however, before the doc goes to stitch up that chin he'll want it numbed with some local anesthetic called, Lidocaine.
Now, since Lidocaine comes in a pre-dosed vile, the nurse can promptly pull out the unit dose packaged medication and place the patients own bar code or lid label covers on it, go in and numb the split-open chin, and since the doctor was called in to a trauma and took longer then he thought, the nurse can later go back in to the patient and use the left over unit dose medication, and numb up the area again using the same vile. Thus, using less supplies, in turn, saving the patient money, and saving the nurse time, and eliminating error.
Unit dose packaging is best described as a single dose of medication for one person. This is used a lot in long term care facilities or in hospice cases. In an example.... Learn more at Unit Dose Packaging and unit
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