Expired Medicine Project
Question
Academic style is APA 7 and screenshot is the description of assignment.
The situation analysis - I decided to do project on expired medication use because I currently work at ophthalmology clinic. We have been dinged in the past by surveyors that work for the state due to expired meds being in rooms. I figured if I made a medication system it would decrease, ultimately eliminating expired medication use on patients. Our initial assignment for this class was to write down the implementation of this particular problem. I have uploaded this as well (capstone proposal) which should help with answering questions for assignment. If you have any questions, please let me know !
BSN 355 Capstone Project Proposal Plan
What is the project ques0on (PICOT)? In other words what
are you ul0mately trying to figure out? |
P- In ophthalmology clinic pa0ents, I - what is the effect of a
system developed to iden0fy expired medica0ons, O- decreasing expired
medica0ons use, C - compared with no current system T- within 2 month period ? |
Who will benefit from your project? |
Staff within the ophthalmology clinic, such as nurses, pa0ents, and
administra0on. |
Where are the people located that will benefit from your
project? |
The people that will benefit from the project are located in
ophthalmology clinic. |
What date do you plan on implemen0ng your project? |
I will implement this project during BSN 485, next year spring of
2024. |
How long will your project take |
The project will take two months |
Budget requirements of your project (how much money will
it take to implement your project)? |
My budget will be less than $100, supplies will be paper, power
point presenta0on and hand outs on system. |
Why did you decided to do this project? |
Expired medica0ons can be risky and harmful to pa0ents health.
Proper disposal and preven0on can improve pa0ent care. |
What do you hope to achieve by doing this project? |
Improve medica0on quality control in ophthalmology clinic to prevent
the use of mul0 dose boWles aXer the 28 day period . |
What do you need to help you complete this project? |
Access to medica0ons within each room that are opened and
communica0on with nursing staff. |
Will your project have long-term effects? If so, what
are they? If none. Why not? |
I believe it will have a long term effect on the clinic because
nurses will adopt the task needed to prevent expired medica0on use. With the
success of the project in ophthalmology, it may get adopted by other clinics
in the medical facility. |
Will the project be sustainable? If so, how will you sustain the
project? How will your project be evaluated? |
I
believe this project is sustainable because if the system works to prevent
expired medica0on use, the ophthalmology clinic will con0nue using the system. The
project will be sustained by randomly checking medica0ons in rooms and
coordina0ng workshops twice a year to encourage compliance. This project will be evaluated by randomly checking medica0ons in
pa0ent rooms, verifying if they are labeled and are within the 28 day window
of use. |
Are there any risks associated with the project? |
At this 0me I don’t know of any risk associated with this project. |
Is there anything that may prevent your project from succeeding?
If so, what? |
Inability to gather the needed informa0on for the project and/or
nursing staff non compliance. |


Solution
Expired Medicine Project
The
expiry date is the last day under which a medication’s efficiency and safety
are by its producer. The expiration date is stated on the packaging of most
drugs, including prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, and nutritional
supplements (Alnahas, 2020). My
primary purpose in this project is to improve medication quality control in
ophthalmology clinics, prevent the use of multidose after their expiry date,
and improve patient care. The PICOT question is; would developing a medication (dispensing)
system in a clinic lead to a decrease in expired medication (drugs) use on ophthalmology
patients?
Objectives
The
first objective of this project is to Prevent medication-related damage or drug
interactions on ophthalmology patients by 50% through proper disposal of
expired medicine, conducted by the healthcare professionals after every 28 days
for six months. The objective will help improve patient care and reduce
medication wastage (Ebrahim, 2019). The second objective is to learn the
behaviors of healthcare professionals’ disposal practices across the clinic,
ensuring the expired medicine inboxes are labeled and taken to the industry for
proper disposal. It
is highly harmful to individuals who aren’t supposed to take certain drugs
(Ebrahim, 2019). Children are especially vulnerable to having contact with
incorrectly kept or disposed of medications.
The third objective is to determine measures
that pharmacists in ophthalmology clinics undertake to reduce medication waste
by 50% through employing dose-dispensing systems and disseminating opened
medication packages in 1 year. Manufacturers
can help long-term pharmaceutical supply and use by increasing shelf life,
selecting the most environmentally-friendly storage conditions, and changing
packaging (Ebrahim, 2019). The fourth objective is to assess how some
activities are utilized to reduce expired medication by modifying the dosage of
prescription drugs and the length of treatment.
Strategies
The
first Strategy used to prevent drug interaction and medication-related damage
is consulting a physician. Patients in the ophthalmology clinic will be
required to consult the doctor about the medicine prescribed before taking
them. The doctors will explain side effects and the foods the medication
interacts with for proper patient care (Bekker et al., 2018). The other
Strategy is to learn how and when to take medicine. It’s critical to understand
whether one should take the prescription with or without food.
Strategies
that will help learn the behaviors of professional disposal practices include
returning the medicines to the manufacturer or the donor. Pharmaceuticals that are expired or
rotted are considered a health hazard and sent to the donor for disposal.
Another strategy is using sewer to dispose of expired medicine (Bekker et al.,
2018). Some liquid medications, such as
syrups and intravenous fluids, are diluted with water and drained into
sewers in minimal amounts over time without causing significant global health
or environmental impact. Checking medications when coming on shift daily before
patient care is provided and having a check off system. Also ensuring
coordination of workshops twice a year to encourage compliance. This should be done
on daily basis.
Strategies
used to determine the measures used to reduce medication waste include, Manufacturers should offer a broader
range of package sizes and steer clear of huge packages. Authorities can compel
manufacturers to provide a decent range of lengths by imposing a maximum waste
percentage or mandating refunds for the unused or expired medication (Bekker et
al., 2018). Another strategy is that prescribers could also use shared
decision-making to customize pharmacotherapy. Patients’ unique preferences
include the need and attitude toward pharmacological treatment and avoiding
expired or undesirable medication (Bekker et al., 2018).
Background
Expired
medication is harmful to human bodies. Addressing the issue of expired
medication use in our clinic will help reduce and eliminate expired medications
on patients due to a change in chemical structure or a drop in potency (Hughey
et al.,2019). Expired drugs are susceptible to bacterial growth, and sub-potent
antibiotics fail to treat bacterial infections, resulting in more severe
diseases and antibiotic resistance.
It’s
critical to understand that ingesting an expired medication or one that has
degraded due to poor storage might result in various issues (Hughey et
al.,2019). Since it has a lesser strength than planned, deteriorated treatment
does not provide the patient with the anticipated benefit. Dangerous compounds may also be
released as a medicine expires, posing a risk of undesired side effects in
patients.
All
healthcare team members should educate patients on how to properly dispose of
expired prescriptions to save lives and money. It’s simple to teach patients
about the significance of taking their drugs, but healthcare practitioners
occasionally overlook the importance of teaching patients how to properly
dispose of expired medication (Nepal et al., 2020). The degradation of drugs is
influenced by heat and moisture. Prescriptions and medicines should be kept in
a cold, dry environment such as a kitchen cupboard, dresser drawers, wardrobe
shelf, or storage box.
Conclusion
High
pharmaceutical manufacturing, prescriptions, and consumption have resulted in
many expired medications with various negative consequences, particularly for
the environment. Additionally, using innovative stability tests to extend a
drug’s expiration date will assist reduce the annual number of expired
medications. Despite being preserved according to the manufacturer’s
instructions, many medications frequently expire. It’s critical to dispose of
these expired and unused medications properly.
References
Alnahas, F., Yeboah, P.,
Friedel, L., Abdin, A. Y., & Alhareth, K. (2020). Expired Medication:
Societal, Regulatory and Ethical Aspects of a Wasted Opportunity. International journal of environmental
research and public health, 17(3),
787. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030787
Bekker, C. L.,
Gardarsdottir, H., Egberts, A., Bouvy, M. L., & van den Bemt, B. (2018).
Pharmacists’ Activities to Reduce Medication Waste: An International
Survey. Pharmacy (Basel,
Switzerland), 6(3), 94. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy6030094
Ebrahim, A. J., Teni,
F. S., & Yimenu, D. K. (2019). Unused and Expired Medications: Are They a
Threat? A Facility-Based Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of primary care & community health, 10, 2150132719847857. https://doi.org/10.1177/2150132719847857
Hughey, C. W., Lawson,
D., Roberts, K., Santos, M., & Spinosa, S. (2019). Safe medication
disposal. Home Healthcare Now, 37(2), 106-110. https://bit.ly/3hhbvRH
Nepal, S., Giri, A.,
Bhandari, R., Chand, S., Nepal, S., Aryal, S., ... & Shastry, C. S. (2020).
Poor and unsatisfactory disposal of expired and unused pharmaceuticals: a
global issue. Current Drug Safety, 15(3), 167-172. https://bit.ly/3si3sdB




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