Test Location again
Posted from Cerritos, California, United States.
here is my next location with place name zeroed.
Posted from Cerritos, California, United States.
here is my next location with place name zeroed.
Posted from Kenner, Louisiana, United States.
This is a test of Log My Trip again
My location is Zeroed here
Who Knows about Drugs (Rx’s)?
After completing an informal survey of some of my family members and friends, I have come to the shocking reality of how little information people know about common medications such as Advil, aspirin, and Tylenol. I chose these three drugs because they seem to be the most common drug people use over the counter. Although some people were very educated in regards to the drugs, some people were extremely ill-informed regarding these meds. Some thought ibuprofen and Advil were completely different drugs. I think that most people just know the name of the drugs they take whether generic or trade, but do not know the common doses and side effects, which is quite surprising because of how important this information is. Another person knew both the trade and generic names for Advil and Tylenol, but had trouble indicating a correct dose, for example she said “I don’t know, like two pills every six hours.” She was however well educated in regards to the adverse effects of these three different drugs naming GI bleeding for Advil and liver damage for Tylenol. Other people interviewed however, had trouble distinguishing the difference between Advil, Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Acetaminophen, and Aspirin. As I mentioned above one person thought they were all completely different drugs and did not know there was a difference between a trade and generic name. After giving some information in regards to these medications to the interviewees, they now have a better understanding of the common drugs they take for simple everyday aches and pains. Out of the six people I interviewed one talked about colloidal silver and how she takes it when she feels she is getting a cold and swears by it. This is a homeopathic medication that I do not really understand how it works or the side effects, but I will continue to research to possibly find out this information. Other than that I was shocked in regards to the lack of information people contain about medication that they may possibly put into their bodies everyday. As nurses we need to make sure to take five minutes out of our day and give that education to our patients so they can not only be educated themselves, but to become more knowledgeable and safe when taking or administering these medication to friends or loved ones.
Recently, I was informed of a writer/blogger who shared his experience with open heart surgery and hospitalization. Check it out, as it is REALLY interesting to see things from the patient perspective …
The patients’ view should never be forgotten!
Derek shares his personal story here.
Do you know what medications you are taking, its side effects, and when to call your physician? If you answered no, you are not alone. Many Americans taking medications are not fully aware of what they are taking. At times they are not even aware of the generic name nor the side effects that the medication may cause. Do to this I decided to conduct my own survey among family and friends to test their knowledge about their prescribed and over the counter medications.
After conducting my survey I learned that many individuals knew what there medication was for but at times were unable to name the medication by its generic or brand name. Most were unaware of the side effect to their medication unless they had experienced it before. Also many keep their old medication in their medicine cabinet for future us, including antibiotics.
This means that they are not finishing the full treatment of antibiotics and are potentially reusing the medications when ill. Many of my family members were aware of herbal remedies. Herbal teas are very common among Mexican families and are believed to relieve stomach pain, nausea, and minor complaints. Overall, there was a lack of education among my family members. They were all compliant with their prescribed medications, yet they didn’t know what they were actually taking. This a potentially dangerous situation. They are not aware of when to contact their physician, or if what they are experiencing is a normal side effect.
Educating patients regarding their medications is very important. It is necessary for the patient to at least be able to name their medication and what its used for. Also its important to know any interactions with the medications they are taking which can be as simple as grapefruit. I came to learn that like many Americans my family and friends were not knowledgeable about their medications. It is the nurses, doctors, and pharmacist responsibility to educate patients about their medications.
As I am wrapping up the collection part of my research, I have been selected to compete in the CSU Undergraduate Research Competition! This is an exciting forum to share my research with both other scientific institutions as well as non science based people. Since the implications of my research reach across all walks of life, this will be an exciting place to share my findings, and a little healthy competition never hurt anyone!
Critiquing the research article
Prepared by Louise Kaplan, PhD, ARNP, FNP-BC, FAANP
Senior Policy Fellow, Department of Nursing Practice and Policy Louise.kaplan@ana.org
Twenty-six years ago–in April 1989–I attended and presented at my first professional conference. I was finishing my second year of graduate school. Much of my second year in graduate school was invested in working the project that I presented with my advisor, mentor, and friend Larry Dodd. In my first year at Colorado Larry was gracious to involve me in a project that he began a few years earlier looking at the presentational styles of state legislators in California and Indiana. The heart of the argument in the paper is that presentational style is influenced by the professionalization of the legislative institution, and the state’s political development.
Working on the project with Larry was a formative learning, and professional experience.
“Legislators’ Home Style in Traditional and Modern Systems” was my first exposure to research. Sure, as an undergraduate I scoured the library for literature related to research projects assigned by professors. I even produced a 30 page research paper about political conflict in Northern Ireland during my senior year. Searching the secondary literature and synthesizing competing theoretical approaches is certainly part of the research process; but these activities do not encompass the research process. Research, in my view, is about creating new knowledge, or new ways of understanding politics (in my case, the world you are studying in your case). Traditional undergraduate research does not achieve this goal.
Working with Larry I learned about data collection, data management, and data analysis. For the first time I used statistical tools in service to a project that really interested me, rather than using them to complete projects with “canned” data. For the first time I struggled with how to interpret statistical results in service of understanding a larger theoretical question. And I wrote. And wrote. And wrote.
In short, research allowed me (forced me?) to pull all the elements of my learning together. I learned at least as much doing research as I did reading research. Among the things I learned is that research is hard. It is full of stops and starts; more failures and dead ends than successes. It forced me to rethink many assumptions I made about myself, and about the political world. It simultaneously satisfied and stimulated my curiosity.
***
Larry Dodd is one of the world’s greatest mentors. His skill is as much in what he does not do and was he does do. He pressed me to produce my best work with his data, then stepped in to gently demonstrate how to write a (masterful) conference paper. Rather than insist on presenting or co-presenting, he left the job to me. Flying solo at my first conference taught me a series of valuable lessons.
It is your research. Chances are that you know the material better than anyone who is listening to your presentation. This means two things: 1) be confident, you are the expert; 2) explain your research in sufficient detail that the audience can understand your research, even though they have never read your work.
Develop the ability to be self-critical. Know where the weaknesses are in your work. This will help you to anticipate the questions audience members are likely to ask; and be prepared with answers to anticipated questions. This exercise will help to strengthen your research as you incorporate responses into your written work, making it more difficult for reviewers to criticize you (though no matter how hard you work, you will still be subject to criticism).
Be prepared to talk about the applicability of your research. The most common question to be asked is how your research is important in an applied setting. If your research centers on “how many angels can dance on the head of a pin,” be ready to answer the question “who cares?” If you cannot answer that question, you may want to reconsider your research. If you cannot answer the question in front of an audience, you may experience considerable public discomfort.
Guide the audience through your research. For my first presentation (and for many that came after) we did not have the luxury of PowerPoint. Paper handouts were the technology of the day. Audience members became distracted by the material they were handed, and did not listen to the presentation. PowerPoint provides more control over the flow of information to the audience. Use it to your advantage.
Over the years I have come to realize that there is not a fundamental difference between delivering a professional talk, and teaching a room full of undergraduates. In both cases we are striving to get people to understand something important to us. A professional presentation is a teaching exercise. Yes, you are usually presenting at a slightly higher intellectual level, and you can assume more foreknowledge of your topic, but not by much.
***
Like my first foray into research, presenting research is about developing a presentational style. Professionalism is paramount. Your written work, and your PowerPoint slides, should be properly formatted, and free of common spelling and syntax errors. Professional does not need to equate to being stuffy. Be excited and enthusiastic about your work. Avoid jargon and excessively baroque language; it is off-putting. If you are comfortable with it, try to employ humor–it is a great way to relieve any tension you have, or any tension in the room. Finally, accept the fact that, from time to time, a presentation will fail. Failure is an opportunity to learn how to become a better presenter. Take the time to reflect on your presentations, both successful and unsuccessful, and learn from the experience.
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Sunday 11:30 am