Implement education campaign to increase awareness of patients Dissertation

Implement education campaign to increase awareness of patients attending emergency - Dissertation Example Simple health cases, if untreated, can become emergency cases. The most cost-effective manner of reducing patient visits to the ED department is to prevent these injuries or illnesses from occurring. The hospital should involve itself in educating its local community on the benefits of healthy lifestyles and use of anti-tobacco campaigns. The hospital should also carry out educational campaigns on the appropriate occasions to attend the emergency department. The hospital should also increase access to alternative services for health care and educate its patients on the benefits of using these services. Additionally, the hospital should also enhance its specialist support service in order to divert some of the cases to doctors who can treat the patients quickly and efficiently, thus avoiding unnecessary return services to the ED. Finally, the hospital could enforce non-emergency, re-direction or refuse service to patients who do not meet the emergency criteria (Vincent, 2011, p. 12). These measures will help to reduce demand for ED services. In general, the reason for overcrowding of the ED department rises from inadequate financing of the emergency health department and services during a period when there is an increase in demand for these services. Therefore, the best way to deal with it is by reducing the demand (Skow-Pucel, 2006, p. 32). Limited human and financial resources are the issues that lead to inefficiency in the ED and, as such, increasing services would be almost impossible. Most patients coming into the ED of a hospital may not be in need of emergency services, although they almost all possess a need for health care. Reducing demand by using the measures discussed, such as diverting patients to alternative health services and enhancing specialist services, is the finest method of solving the issue of overcrowding (O'Leary, 2009, p. 41). However, some policies aimed at turning away patients deemed not to be in need of ED services either explicitly or implicitly without giving assurances of access to alternative care is neither clinically nor ethically acceptable. By reducing demand for services in the ED, the hospital should benefit by increasing their resources and productivity. By reducing abuse of the ED by the local community via decreasing demand for service, the deserving patients will be able to access quality and efficient service (Griffin, 2009, p. 27). The hospital emergency department staff will be better equipped to serve the real emergencies by making non-emergency services more attractive than emergency services. Removing non-value adding duties, improving the flow of patients through the department, and enhancing the efficiency of the ED staff should result in more productivity from the ED services currently in existence. Clinical audits, cascade staff duties, and minimal workload are also cost-effective since the hospital can redirect resources to other functions of the emergency department such as automation and computerization (Croskerry, 2009, p. 45). The benefits from reducing demand for emergency services have a trickle-down effect on other hospital services as well (Morrison & John, 2009, p. 78). Since these non-emergency patients can be referred to specialists and alternative health services, pre-hospital care is improved. The health of the local communi

The physical properties of glass and polymer materials PMC Essay

The physical properties of glass and polymer materials PMC - Essay Example For example, the thermal properties of polymers and composite structures can be altered through the use of a variety of fillers. The dimensions of the fillers fall on a macroscopic (1  µm-1mm) length scale (Brydson, 1999). These fillers augment the rigidity and heat deformation temperature of a polymer; because the filler makes a significant proportion of the total mass [10-40%]. Fillers and additives normally decrease the light transmission of a plastic. This report aims at discussing about the latest improvements in plastic and glass materials in the advancement of their properties, with regard to optical and thermal treatments. The report will commence by highlighting the basics of the optical and thermal properties of glass materials and PMC. Further, development in the enhancement of the properties will be outlined and evaluated to reveal latest developments and eventual achievements. Optical Properties of Plastics and Glasses Most optical elements are fabricated from glass, c rystalline materials, polymers or plastic materials (Lokensgard, 2010). The Index of fraction is the property of materials upon which the reflectance of the material is dependence. This represents the measure of change in bearing of an incident ray of light as it passes through a surface boundary. With the choice of material having been the most fundamental properties are often the degree of transparency and the R.I. as well as each property’s spectral dependency. Glass technology has provided optical elements like lenses, prisms and filters (Miller and Kurtz, 2011). The transmission of light in plastics differs greatly in their ability to transmit light. Majority of plastic materials are opaque and the surface reflection of light off the plastic determines amount of gloss on the surface. The crystalline nature of a polymer determines their optical properties. The use of photolithography in printing integrated circuits has orchestrated improvement in the transmission glasses for the ultraviolet (UV) region (Malik and Raina 2004). This is done to enhance the physical properties of the material and to acquire an effective product in the manufacturing process. Plastic optics brings about a variety of plastics suitable for inexpensive, unbreakable lens for mass production (Lokensgard, 2010). Further, when difficult or unusual shapes, lightweight or economical mass-production techniques are required, plastics are preferred though, their precision optics is limited. Plastics demonstrate huge disparities in the refractive index (R.I.) with temperature change (Brydson, 1999). According to Miller and Kurtz (2011), the technology of concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) uses optical component(s) to focus optical flux onto a relatively small photovoltaic (PV) cell. The study by Miller and Kurtz reviews the durability of Frensel lenses used in the concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) application. The utilisation of optical property can be evidenced by the composite having s ubstantial optical transparency produced by reinforcing poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with unidirectional borosilicate glass fibres (Miller et al. 2010). The achievement of the optical transparency of the compound was realised by harmonizing the refractive index (nD) of the glass fibre and polymer matrix to within  ±0.002 (Optical Glass, 2000). Further, Miller et al (2010) argues that, the durability of