War on drugs policies: disparity in sentencing between crack and powder cocaine During one of the most significant drug arrests in US records, the US government confiscated 16500 kilograms of cocaine valued over $1bn from a container in Philadelphia (US Dept. of Justice, September 2019). The fight on crack and powder cocaine is far from over. This war against drugs has contributed to divisive laws and regulations, like mandatory minimum sentences (Gelman, Fagan, & Kiss 2007). Mandatory minimum sentencing implies that an individual guilty of a crime must be sentenced for a fixed time instead of leaving the duration of the sentencing to the judiciary. Mandatory punishment has resulted to overcrowding of jails and has led to racial inequalities of sentences (Wallace, 2014). The fine for having 500 g of powdered cocaine was historically equivalent to having just 5 g of crack (Kleiman et al., 2011). The Fair Sentencing Act (2010) narrowed the gaps in sentences to 18:1, but the inequalities in punishment still exist, and the legislation is not retroactive. The sharp disparity in statutory drug laws has a disproportionate…
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) is the inflammation of the upper genital tract. PID is a common disease among sexually active girls below the age of 25 years. Also, women who have unprotected sex, have multiple sex partners, douche regularly, or have a history of PID. PID is an infection that starts from the vagina and cervix and then ascends to the upper genital tract. PID affects upper genital organs which are the ovaries, fallopian tube, and uterus. Sexually transmitted bacteria cause PID. Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoea are the leading pathogens of PID since at least 50 per cent who test positive of either these two STIs have acute PID. Besides, vaginal microorganisms such as Haemophilic influenza, aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, Streptococcus agalactiae, and enteric gram-negative rods cause PID. PID is characterized by lower pains in the abdomen, abnormal uterine bleeding during intercourse and between menstrual cycle, fever, and cervical discharge. The physician should order for a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) to check for Chlamydia or Neisseria. Besides, pelvic ultrasound should be conducted. The physician…
Changes in The Healthcare Systems Introduction The main areas of focus in the healthcare system in healthcare provision over the years have been to deliver the best experience of the patient, to improve the population health and improvement of healthcare affordability The ultimate goals of the healthcare organizations is to improve the healthcare environment and the processes with the main focus on patient-centered care. The changes in these frameworks have helped in providing quality healthcare performance and the best outcomes. Patients health and safety In the healthcare system, patient’s safety and wellbeing are the most critical issues over the century. This is in consideration of the number of patient deaths previously experienced in healthcare settings. The struggle to ensure the reduction in the patients by focusing on the patient’s safety has proved the most significant strategy over the years. Even though the process has proved cumbersome, the changes in staff coordination concerning care provision has been of significant importance. For instance, a frontline move for staff to report any form of deficit that may be experienced in the healthcare system…
Central line-associated bloodstream infection Introduction Central venous catheters play a crucial role in the management of critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit. The CVCs are used in the administration of intravenous fluids during resuscitation, which helps in hemodynamic parameters monitoring as well as administration of intravenous medication. ICU utilizes various interventions such as invasive procedures that may trigger the development of nosocomial infections among the patients. CLABSI develops within two days of placing a central line. Among all the healthcare-associated infections, CLABSI is the most expensive to manage because it requires the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics (Choi et al., 2018). Besides, the infection increase the duration of stay in the hospital among the patients. The majority of the CLABSI are preventable when proper surveillance, aseptic technique, and management strategies are correctly used. Prevention strategies Selection of catheterization site There are three mainly used sites for the placement of central venous catheterization, which are subclavian vein, internal jugular vein, and femoral vein. The sites are associated with the occurrence of infection, mechanical and thrombotic complications, but the risk…
Bipolar Disorder and Related Disorders Grunze, H. (2015). Bipolar disorder. In Neurobiology of brain disorders (pp. 655-673). Academic Press. The author of this article seeks to summarize the possible causes of bipolar disorders. Among the findings in the study includes cellular, morphological, epigenetic, and behavioral factors. Besides, the article depicts some of the risk genes according to the studies conducted by genome-wide association. The argument is that some hereditary genes contribute to the development of the disorder across generations. The environmental factors play a significant role in the event of diseases by making an individual vulnerable to the condition. The epigenetic factors, o the other hand, impacts notable changes to the intracellular signal transduction as well as neurotransmissions. The implication of short tern neurotransmission is the development of mania and depression, which are depicted in individual behavior. The effects of long term changes in neurotransmission are manifested in neuroimaging as well as postmortem brains. The sequence of neural dysfunction leads to the disease process. The article is a relevant source, especially because it discusses the root causes of bipolar disorder…
Drugs storage and maintenance Drugs should be stored well and in different places according to the diseases that they cure. They must be locked well in an excellent conditioned place. Medications should be out of direct sunlight and in a place where the temperature is between 59 degree and 86 degrees. There are procedures and protocols regarding the handling, storing and monitoring of drugs. There are three common interlaboratory variabilities, lack of systemizing of laboratory procedures and workflows starting with sample collection and handling, lack of use of appropriate reference materials for example isotope and bad habits of storing medicine in the laboratory without following the rules and regulations that is validation and training of proper personnel. To increase the quality and interlaboratory comparability, the procedures should be well supported in the laboratory (Seger, Shipkova, Christians, Billaud, Wang, Holt, and Marquet, 2016). When drugs are in a health facility, they have to be preserved very well. Medicines should be stored in their containers because if they are misplaced, or their containers are changed, they can reduce their effectiveness hence leading to…
smog in our brains article review Introduction The dream of every author is always to capture the audience and to make the work memorable. In the article, ‘smog in our brains’, the author uses a captivating heading in relaying the research to the readers. The ultimate motive of every research is to instill knowledge based on facts that can be proven. The ultimate goal of the author is to challenge other researches about the wide perception and effects of air pollution. The author persuasively stages the arguments in convincing the readers. This by use of real and practical research examples in highlighting the arguments as discussed below. It is always of an assumption that air pollution is mostly associated with respiratory, cardiovascular and renal complications. The researches mostly highlight the risks of early deaths that are always associated with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Its effects on mental wellness and cognitive ability has not always been understood well. A research study of ‘smog in our brains’ has brought up a challenge that air pollution has also been associated with adverse…
“Captain of the Ship” Project – Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders Introduction According to Gournay and Rodgers (2010) defines obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as a mental health condition in which an individual experiences obsessive thought and or obsessional actions. Additionally, people who have tend to have obsessive thoughts and urges to engage in compulsive behaviors. Obsessive-compulsive disorder, as a result of the patient experience discomfort which leads to impairments (Fenske, and Petersen, 2015; Mais, Bilet and Martisen 2009). As the PMHNP, I will look into a case and recommend the treatment plan for a client with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). History of illness (HPI) and Clinical Impression November 18, 2019, 0830hrs”: Heather a 29-year-old female who lived with her husband and two cats. Through structured interviews by the primary care physicians (PCP) Heather and her husband revealed that for about one and half years she has been experiencing distressing thoughts of harming herself and even her loved ones: husband and two cats. Besides, Heather reported to have reoccurring thoughts of losing her loved ones through death in various ways such as road accidents and armed…
Blockchain Technology Use Cases in Healthcare Incorporation of technological innovations and inventions in healthcare procedures has resulted in effectiveness and efficiency as well as quality enhancement. The incorporation of blockchain technology in healthcare systems has established a centralized authority for certification of information integrity and ownership (Zhang, Schmidt, White & Lenz, 2018). It has also enabled a secure and reliable transaction and direct agreement between interacting parties. Among the key characteristics that enable blockchain technology to facilitate these include transparency, immutability, and decentralization. I first came upon the idea of incorporation of blockchain technology in healthcare systems and processes in a newspaper. After which i grew curious and wanted to learn more about how blockchain technology is being incorporated in healthcare systems in the contemporary world. I then started to consult online-based bibliographies to establish if there is any literature material relating to the incorporation of blockchain technology in healthcare systems and processes. I found several research topics relating to the incorporation of blockchain technology into healthcare systems and processes. I chose ten topics in which I was to perform an…
Technology addiction Introduction Technology is the most crucial area of the industry. Technology is shaping the world today also making the path for the future generations (Gifford, 2013). It has become part and parcel of our daily lives. Cars, gyms, computers, phones, hospital equipment are just but a few examples of who technology has been incorporated into our daily lives which help people live comfortably. However, technology has very many negative effects on the lives of human beings(Kelly,2014). This paper will elaborate more on addiction as a negative impact of technology. According to (“Essays – Tristan Harris”, 2018) technology hijacks people psychological vulnerabilities. In his article, Mr. Harris states his second hijack as “put a slot machine in a billion pockets.” A study by Qualtrica and Accel found out that millennials prefer digital communications and that they look at their phones 150 times a day. This is stated by Mr. Harris is due to the presence of an intermittent variable reward (Gifford, 2013). For all tech designers and developers to maximize addiction they need to link a variable reward with…