Vitamin C lab report free essay sample

Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is a water soluble vitamin. It is a powerful reducing agent that is able to decolourise blue DCPIP (2. 6-dichlorophenol indophenols). The decolourisation of DCPIP can therefore be used to calculate the vitamin C content of a variety of fruit juices. Research Question – To determine how the content of Vitamin C (%) will differ in fresh fruits (orange, mango, lemon, lime, blackcurrant, pineapple) from that in processed fruit juices (orange, pineapple) by adding drops of the aforementioned fruit juices to DCPIP until the DCPIP gets decolorized. Variables Independent Variable – Type of fruit juice used (fresh or processed). NB: the juice from the fruits was freshly squeezed during the experiment. Dependent Variable – Amount of fruit juice it takes to decolourize the DCPIP in cm3 (Â ±0. 2cm3) Controlled Variables – 1) Concentration of DCPIP was the same in all the samples. A larger amount of it was prepared for this case. 2) The same amount of DCPIP was added in each test-tube (1 cm3) using the same 5cm3 syringe 3) All the fruit juices, fresh and processed, were diluted five times. We will write a custom essay sample on Vitamin C lab report or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The same 5cm3 syringe was used to add drops of fruit juices in the test tubes 5) State of decolourization – one sample of decolourised DCPIP was used as a basic one (one with 0. 1% ascorbic acid) and later all the fruit juices with DCPIP were compared with the sample. The decolourization should have been the same in both the samples. 6) The other control was similar to (5) above, but instead of having ascorbic acid, it had distilled water. It was used to show that only vitamin C can decolourize DCPIP Materials 10 Test Tubes 2 x 5cm3 syringes (Â ±0. 2cm3) (pipettes were not available so syringes were used) 3 x 20 cm3 beakers Label the test tubes, then slowly pipette 1 cm3 of DCPIP into each test tube Safety! – DCPIP is corrosive and toxic. Wash of any spills with water 2) Take 5cm3 of 0. 1 % ascorbic acid using a syringe 3) Add the ascorbic acid drop by drop into the first test tube, gently shake the tube after each drop is added. As soon as the DCPIP becomes decolourized, note the volume of ascorbic acid that was added 4) Wash syringe and beaker. Into the second test tube, add the same volume of distilled water as ascorbic acid that you added in test-tube 1. Gently shake the tube and note observations. 6) Dilute all juices to be tested 5 times using a measuring cylinder. 7) Add the first sample of juice drop, gently shake the tube after each drop is added and note the volume added in order to decolourize the DCPIP. Continue the same way for other fruit juices Do not forget to wash out the beaker and the pipette after each juice is used 8) Lastly, calculate the concentration of ascorbic acid present in each fruit juice: Data Collection – Qualitative – Table 1: Colour change in each liquid test Tube Liquid test Colour 1 0. 1% ascorbic acid (control) colourless 2 Distilled water (control) No change 3 0range juice(fresh) colourless 4 Lemon colourless 5 Mango colourless 6 Lime colourless 7 blackcurrant magenta 8 pineapple colourless 9 Processed orange juice Turns light purple/maroon 10 Processed pineapple juice Pink From the table on the previous page it can be seen already that most fresh fruit juices have high amounts of vitamin C as they completely decolourise the DCPIP (comparing to test tube 1 which is the control). Moreover, both of the processed juices seem to have lower amounts of DCPIP as they hardly change from their original colour (purple). None of the final colours were similar to that with distilled water, showing that all of them had some amount of ascorbic acid. Quantitative Data In the following table, the test-tube with distilled water will not be taken into account as the DCPIP was not decolourized. Table 2: amount of volume required to decolourise DCPIP in each liquid test Tube Liquid Test Volume (cm3/(Â ±0. 2cm3) added to decolorize DCPIP 1 0. 1% ascorbic acid (control) 0. 6 3 0range juice(fresh) 2 4 Lemon 3. 1 5 Mango 3 6 Lime 2. 9 7 blackcurrant 18 8 pineapple 6 9 Processed orange juice 20 10 Processed pineapple juice 18 The data in this table supports the qualitative results. It should be noted that due to time constraints, for test-tube 7, 9 and 10 the experiment was stopped as they didn’t change colour quickly and continuing the experiment would have been time consuming. The fact that they decolourised from their original colour was taken as proof that ascorbic acid was present. Data Processing Using this formula the concentration of ascorbic acid in all the liquids was found Volume of 0. 1 % ascorbic acid is 0. 6 cm3 (Â ±0. 2cm3). Table 3: Concentration of ascorbic acid (%) in liquid tests Tube Liquid Test Volume (cm3/(Â ±0. 2cm3) added to decolorize DCPIP Concentration of ascorbic acid (%) 1 0. 1% ascorbic acid (control) 0. 6 3 0range juice(fresh) 2 0. 03 4 Lemon (fresh) 3. 1 5 Mango (fresh) 3 6 Lime (fresh) 2. 9 7 Blackcurrant (fresh) 18 8 Pineapple (fresh) 6 9 Processed orange juice 20 10 Processed pineapple juice 18 Presenting Processed Data The following bar graph shows the amount of vitamin C present in each of the liquid tests. It shows that test tubes 7, 9 and 10 have the least amounts of Vitamin C while from the fruit juices, test tube 3 has the highest amount of vitamin c. Note: test tube 1 is a control with ascorbic acid (0. 1%). Graph 1: Concentration of Ascorbic acid (%) against fruit juices From Table 3, it can be seen that greater the volume of liquid required to decolourise the DCPIP, smaller the concentration of ascorbic acid (%) in the solutions. The following graph shows this relationship even more clearly. The plots were joined using a trend line so that the trend can be seen more clearly. Graph 2: Concentration of ascorbic acid (%) against Volume (cm3/(Â ±0. 2cm3) added to decolorize DCPIP The following graph shows that the concentration of ascorbic acid (%) in the fresh fruits (indicated by the blue diamond-shaped dots) is higher than the concentration in processed fruit juices (indicated by the blue squares). All the points in the fresh fruits line are higher than those in the processed fruit line. Since we could not get the processed juices for all the fresh fruits, the following graph will focus on the vitamin C concentrations of orange and pineapple, both fresh and processed. Graph 3:Fresh orange and Processed orange Graph 4: Fresh pineapple and Processed Pineapple Juice This clearly shows that there is a higher vitamin C concentration in the fresh fruits (3 and 8) than in the processed fruit juice (9 and 10) Conclusion Putting the above results from highest Vitamin C concentration to lowest; Ascorbic Acid (1st) Fresh Orange Juice Fresh lemon Fresh Mango Fresh Lime Fresh pineapple Fresh Blackcurrant Processed Orange juice Processed Pineapple juice Distilled water (last) From this ranking, it can be said that from the fruit juices/ Fresh orange juice (0.03%) has the highest amount of Vitamin C and the processed fruit juices (orange, pineapple) have the lowest amount (0. 003%) Even though only 2 comparisons could be made (Graph 4 and 5), the results of this investigation illustrate without any doubt that fresh fruit juices(orange, mango, lemon, lime, blackcurrant, pineapple) have a higher concentration of ascorbic acid (%) than do processed fruit juices (pineapple, orange). The research question can thus be answered as: the concentration of Vitamin C is higher in fresh fruits than processed juices. Therefore, if our diet consists more of the fresh fruits above, we will gain a higher amount of vitamin C in our bodies. Evaluation 1) Oranges are ranked as world’s healthiest fruits because of their high Vitamin C concentration. One orange has 69. 62mg of Vitamin C and can supply 116. 2% of the daily value1. This fact is consistent with the findings of the experiment, where the concentration of ascorbic acid in fresh orange is the highest from all the samples tested (0. 03%) 2) All the fruits used were fresh and bought on the same day. This increased reliability of the results since the age of the fruit may affect Vitamin C content. 3) Water was used as a control in the experiment to ensure the fact that only items with vitamin C can decolourize DCPIP. 4) A syringe was used to drop the fruit juices in to the test tubes since a pipette was not available. The problem with a syringe is that if too much pressure is applied, the entire solution can be poured out and it has an uncertainty of (Â ±0. 2cm3). Maybe it would have been better to use a burette, which also has a lower uncertainty (3) 5) We were told that the concentration of ascorbic acid provided was 0.1%. We were not however sure because we did not see it being made. In this case, we should have made the solution to that concentration ourselves, or the lab technician should have made it in front of us. 6) A limitation of this investigation was that the maturity stage of the fruits was not determined. Vitamin C concentration decreases during the ripening process. Unripe fruits have more ascorbic acid than the ripe ones. Since the ripening stage was not informed, the ascorbic acid concentration could have varied and therefore affected the results of the experiment. Even the position of the fruits on the tree was not known; sunlight exposure enhances vitamin C levels. Maybe some fruits were on the shadier side showing low levels of vitamin C. 7) The observations in this experiment were made solely by the eye. There was thus huge room for human error, as sometimes, two drops could seem one drop. In this case, two people could have been used to watch the drops and increase reliability of results 8) Blackcurrant is a fresh fruit which has a very high concentration of vitamin C. However the results of this investigation showed otherwise. This may indicate a shortcoming in the experiment because this fruit was the only one which did not show a high concentration of vitamin C. Maybe the juice became a bit too dilute. This could have been rectified if time had allowed. Due to time constraints, this experiment was only carried out once. In order to obtain reliable results however, the experiment should have been carried out three times, and the average volume of liquids required to decolourize could have been obtained, giving a more realistic picture of the concentrations. Another limitation was that besides orange and pineapple, the processed juices of other fresh fruits were not available and so they could not be directly compared to each other. However, the results did show that processed fruit juices had low Vitamin C content. 10) If time would have permitted, the experiment for 7, 9 and 10 should have been continued so as to obtain the exact end point when the DCPIP got decolorized and therefore get the exact concentration of ascorbic acid (%) in those liquid tests.

15 Stock Characters †and How to Restock Them

15 Stock Characters - and How to Restock Them 15 Stock Characters and How to Restock Them 15 Stock Characters and How to Restock Them By Mark Nichol Does the cast of characters in your novel or short story fall under some of these categories? Take care that your characters don’t fall into the clichà © trap: If you find that they resemble one of the stereotypes below, reconsider your characterization or at least provide the dramatis persona with a distinguishing personality characteristic that’s a twist on the same old, same old. 1. Antihero: This character, a protagonist (typically seen in detective and adventure genres) whose personality flaws distinguish him or her from a standard hero, is inherently much more interesting than the upstanding counterpart. The key characteristic is usually misanthropy, but that’s not enough to round a character out. An antihero must have a solid foundation on which to stand. 2. Absent-minded professor: Perhaps Professor Fumblebuttons is just pretending to be a shock-haired scientist who can’t remember where he put his glasses (â€Å"Um, the glasses you’re wearing?†). What’s his motive for his deception? 3. Boy/girl next door: Is John or Mary really what he or she seems? What dark secret does that wholesome countenance conceal? This character easily pales in comparison with a complicated villain or sidekick, so make an extra effort to invest your protagonist with personality or relegate the squeaky-clean persona to a secondary role. 4. Clown/fool: Traditionally, the court jester often someone of fragile mental stability or feigning the same was the only person allowed to mock or question his powerful patron, and his antics involved not only lighthearted entertainment but also sometimes barbed satire or veiled criticism. A comic-relief character needs to be more than just a wisecracking or mischievous type. Perhaps he’s the omniscient narrator, or he’s pretending to be a smart-aleck to divert attention from his true purpose. 5. Damsel in distress: The helpless young maiden is one of the most tired tropes in storytelling and so is the helpless young maiden turned butt-kicking babe. Better yet, imbue your ingenue with the characteristics of another character type, either one on this list or another stock persona. 6. Everyman: The peril of presenting a character designed to represent everyone is that he will appeal to no one. Make sure your everyman (or everywoman, or boy or girl edition) possesses enough distinguishing characteristics to be interesting, even intriguing. Remember: Relentlessly virtuous characters are boring, and stories in which they have no real challenges fail to engage readers. 7. Femme fatale: The enduring appeal of the deceptive villainess is whether she is in fact aiding or thwarting the protagonist. It’s a balancing act to keep readers guessing to the very end of the story- and that may not be enough. What if your femme fatale is herself deceived, either by the protagonist or by a third character? Twists within twists keep this trope fresh. 8. Hooker with a heart of gold: The bad girl turned good girl is a nice repudiation of moral intolerance, but it’s a stale stereotype. As in the case of her sister the femme fatale, readers shouldn’t be able to predict how she will behave. Is a second-act act of kindness part of a climactic ruse? Is she pressured to betray the protagonist, or is it part of her own plot? 9. Knight-errant: This bright-eyed variant of the hero can drag down a story with him (or her) take care that the conscientious crusader is not too glistening of tooth and sparkling of eye. The most interesting knight-errant in literature is Don Quixote, who was an abject failure (and was all the more appealing for his indefatigable idealism). 10. Manic pixie dream girl: This phrase, coined relatively recently, refers to the offbeat and seemingly off-her-rocker character who upends the protagonist’s carefully ordered world. The problem? She’s done and overdone at least in films. For the stereotype to not be stale, there has to be more to her than quirk. Why is she such a goofball? 11. Nerd: Geek, dork, nimrod been there, done that. But, for example, in the brilliant film Brick (film noir meets adolescent angst), the school brain is not an object of scorn but an awkward, laconic human database for the teenage gumshoe and there’s a touch of empathy for him in the way the lead character keeps him at arm’s length. What makes a nerd a nerd? And what makes him (or her) interesting? Hints of depth, or of deviousness, or both. 12. Sidekick: The protagonist’s right-hand man or woman serves as a counterpoint: intrepid vs. timid, serious vs. silly, and so on, one way or the other. Make sure your lead character’s attendant complements him or her, but also keep their relationship fresh by introducing some vulnerability in the main character the subordinate can exploit. 13. Tomboy: The tomboy transformed is a tired trope, not much better than the mousy maiden who becomes a blithe beauty just by taking off her eyeglasses. Resist the urge to go the Cinderella route: If an androgynous or athletic woman or girl refuses to conform to societal standards for feminine appearance, go with it. But why does she rebel against such norms? That’s the key to her character. 14. Tortured artist: In literature as in real life, complicated creative types are tiresome. A broadly comic tortured artist may be an effective device, but the writer must handle this type with care. 15. Wise man: The scholarly mentor is a time-tested element of many classic stories (think Merlin, or Yoda), so any such character must possess distinct traits. Perhaps your story’s wise man is brilliant about some things but inept concerning others he needs his protà ©gà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s help in affairs of the heart, or, like the absent-minded professor, with whom he shares some characteristics, is a sage when it comes to intellectual areas but is at a loss when it comes to practical matters. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Synonyms for â€Å"Leader†Email EtiquettePredicate Complements

How can an eco-house change people behaviour in the culture of Saudi Research Proposal

How can an eco-house change people behaviour in the culture of Saudi Arabia - Research Proposal Example This policy has been intended towards securing ample housing for various segments of the citizens within the country. However, the issues of global warming, renewable energy utilisation and efficient use of the natural resources for building houses are also required to be considered for efficient â€Å"sustainable housing implementation† within Saudi Arabia. There has to be initiative from the government for formulation of policy towards provision of sustainable housing at affordable prices. Any policy in this direction should have to be inclined towards fulfilment of mainly three objectives. Firstly, the policies should generate housing enhancement; secondly, they should empower the poor and finally the policies should be able to provide a feeling of self-privilege to the weaker sections of the people. Provision of sustainable housing has to be therefore concerned with the formation of ecosystem of houses (Choguill, 2007). An appropriate solution to the present problem in the country with respect to economic as well as environmental perspective is the foundation of an architecture model of eco house for the country. The successful implementation of sustainable housing in Saudi Arabia is essential to be supported by the government and to be backed up by the public awareness. The aim of the paper is to derive the best course of investment towards this aspect of the economy that not only finds an eco-house model but also contributes towards the economic aspect of housing policies through the royal order. The aim will be fulfilled with the help of achieving the objective of this research. The objective is to conduct research and identify every possible ways of designing an eco-friendly house that suits within the environment of Saudi Arabia. The methods of building sustainable houses are inclusive of making the best and comprehensive utilisation of the solar power, design of the site of house building, ventilation and natural light. For fulfilling the objec tive of this research, the methods will be analysed and presented for the creation of an eco-friendly house compatible with the Saudi Arabian environmental conditions such as that of availability of natural resources (Susilawati & A-Surf, 2011). The architecture model of an eco-house has been selected as the best option to the Saudi Arabian housing issue because it is an eco friendly house which provides the basis of leading a sustainable life to the people. The architecture model will be developed on the basis of availability and effectiveness of the natural resources within the country (Fields, 2011). With the designing of the most appropriate architecture model of an eco-friendly house for Saudi Arabia, the problem of both the economy as well as the environment can be encountered. The various methods of utilising the natural resources along with their effectiveness will provide the basis of architecture model of an eco-friendly house in Saudi Arabia. Architecture Model of Eco-Hou se for Saudi Arabia The following are the eco-friendly aspects to be incorporated within the houses to be build throughout the Kingdom: Water Storage facilities of rainwater, whenever it occurs should be incorporated in the sustainable houses. As there is scarcity of rain in Saudi Arabia, wells can be dig for gathering natural water from quite underground level which can be further utilised for using in laundry, cleaning and toilet. Various

Assess the argument that a new era of automation is leading to higher Term Paper

Assess the argument that a new era of automation is leading to higher inequality and threatening the social order - Term Paper Example Nevertheless, the fact that technology has also resulted in the loss of jobs and layoff of some employees in the course of creating efficiency within organizations is also a fact that cannot be denied. The major difficulty therefore arises in the attempt to balance the positive impacts and the negative impacts of technology on economic progress, employment and the consequent social change. Thus, while the proponents of the argument that technological automation is likely to create higher unemployment going forward are pitching their argument on the negative effects that technology has created historically, the opponents of this argument counter it with pointing at the positive effects of employment creation arising from technological automation. Overall, there is no single industry in the global economy that has not felt the impacts of technological changes that have created automation and replaced manual processes. The difference emanates from the fact that; while technological automation has favorably affected certain industries, it has affected the other industries unfavorably (EMSI, n.p.). Thus, whether technological automation increases or decreases unemployment, is all dependent on which industry is affected. For example, a study undertaken by the Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) to assess the impact of automation on job losses in different industries indicated that the tourism industry in the USA has lost 24% of its jobs by laying-off 38,000 workers between 2002 and 2014 (EMSI, n.p.). However, the internet marketing industry created 99,000 new jobs between the same 12 year period running between 2002 and 2014 (EMSI, n.p.). The increase or decrease in employment has a major impact on the social equal ity or inequality within the society, respectively. Nevertheless, it can be easily concluded that a new era

The Relationship between the investment in Petrochemical Industries Research Proposal

The Relationship between the investment in Petrochemical Industries and Economic Development - Research Proposal Example Changing the production means refers to the correction of faults in the structure of the economy or elimination that problem (Omar Mohyee Adeen, 1976). One of the major factors that affect the changes in the national economy is that of investment decisions (Krosinsky, and Robins, 2008). Often the discovery of an abundant natural resource in one country leads to tremendous investment in the resource and decline in the manufacturing sector. This scenario which is called the Dutch disease is a common effect in developing as well as developed countries. It is necessary that the development of an industry following the discovery of a natural resource is accompanied with a balanced development of manufacturing and the small industries. This will lead to generation of employment and diversification of the source’s income. With the availability of abundant raw materials, natural gas and cheap workforce the petrochemical industry is the best industry that shall be developed to grow the economy (Rooney, 2005; Sari, 2009). With this framework, it will be interesting to analyze if there is any relationship between the investments in petrochemical industry and economic growth. Besides this, the author will try to find out the possibility of a Dutch Disease taking place in the Libyan economy. The author will also try to find out the possible ways to prevent it and achieve a balanced growth of economy. The aim of this research is to understand and explore the potential impact of the discovery of petrochemical industry resources in Libya. The author aims to achieve the following objectives through the research: The effect of the development of petrochemical industry on other industrial sector’s size and profitability. In particular, the author aims to find out the affect on smaller and manufacturing industries. Often, the discovery of a natural resource in abundance leads to high economic

Importance of Documentation Care in Nursing

Importance of Documentation Care in Nursing This scenario presents a number of problems to the staff nurse. In relation to the sphere of practice, as a D Grade Staff Nurse I have a senior nurse present on the ward, who will be in charge during the shift. This provides me with a source of support and experiential knowledge, and also someone with whom to liaise over any issues which arise. However, as a Registered Nurse I am responsible for my own practice, accountable for all aspects of nursing practice and therefore must act on everything pertaining to practice that should arise. In an ideal situation, the E Grade will act on any information or concerns I bring to her. If she does not, then it is my responsibility to act on these concerns myself. The NMC Code of Conduct (NMC, 2004) requires that all qualified nurses act in the best interests of their patients at all times. The NMC code of conduct also states that all nurses are accountable for their own practice, and must account for their own acts or omissions (NMC, 2004). The focus of this analysis of the scenario is on documentation and the nurse. The nursing literature suggests that the completion of nursing documentation has been one of the most important functions of nurses, even from the beginning of the profesion in the time in the time of Florence Nightingale (Cheevakasemsook et al, 2006). Documentation of nursing care is an important source of reference and communication between nurses and other health care providers (Martin et al, 1999). Documentation is a fundamental component of nursing activities such as assessment and care planning, according to the various models which have been designed for these functions (Nazarko, 2007). The importance of proper documentation may also be because it serves multiple and diverse purposes for nurses, for patients, and for the health profession, because current health-care systems require that documentation ensures continuity of care, furnishes legal evidence of the process of care and promotes and facilit ates the evaluation of the quality of patient care delivery (Cheevakasemsook et al, 2006). In this instance, following handover, the first source of information to be checked will be the nursing records and care plans of each patient, as part of an individualised approach to care. The nursing records for Mrs Smith, for example, should provide the medical history and social history which will allow me to provide holistic nursing care. However, one of the problems with nursing documentation, as found in some empirical nursing studies, is that the complexity of nursing documentation does not always allow it to serve its many functions (Cheevakasemsook et al, 2006). However, the medical record is a legal document that tells the story of the patient’s encounter with the nurse and other professional caregivers, and as such should provide a complete and accurate account of his condition and the care he received (Austin, 2006). Whatever the difficulties of the documentation processes concerned here, the documentation should have been complete and correct. Documentation issues here include the improper recording of the administration of intravenious antibiotics. Given the strong nature of this medication, their specific nature and mode of action which can be tailored to the individual disease following culture and sensitivity tests, and the need to ensure they are given at the correct intervals, particularly as some such drugs can become toxic in larger doses, the proper recording of their administration is a vital part of the administration process. Bjorvell et al (2003) in a study of 377 nurses in Sweden found that nurses believed documentation to be fundamental to nursing practice, in particular, in promoting and ensuring patient safety. Protocols for the administration of intravenous medications exist, which, if followed, should promote safety. For all medications that nurses give to patients, they must know indications, contraindications, dosage parameters and adverse reactions (Austin, 2006). Nurses must always ensure that the ordered medication is appropriate for the patient, and that the prescription is clear and legible (Austin, 2006). And once a nurse has administered a drug, they must monitor the patient for signs and symptoms of drug toxicity or other adverse reactions, and these monitoring activities must be fully documented, including any actions taken on notable findings and the patient’s response to these interventions (Austin, 2006). This creates a record which demonstrates that the nurse met the prescribed standards of patient care when administering medication (Austin, 2006). Two qualified staff should have checked the drug dosage, route and timing, and the prescription against the patient identfication band, and then recorded the adminstration of the antibiotics on the chart and in the patient records . Incomplete records in this instance could be suggestive of improper procedures in the adminstration of this medication, a serious issue which could lead to legal action and professional sanction, even dismissal and loss of registration (Austin, 2006). Similarly, the issue of the blood transfusion error should be highlighted, because again patient safety is the fundamental point of nursing care. If proper procedures had been followed, this error could not have occurred. Administration of blood and blood products is subject to strict surveillance, and each Trust will have clear guidelines and protocols which govern and support this kind of activity. Checks should have been carried out on collection of the blood – the documentation should have been checked against the blood bag – patient name, number, blood group and type. The blood form, with the number of the blood bag, should have been checked properly. This should have been carried out by two qualified staff. The same checks should have been carried out at the bedside, checked against the patient notes and his identification band. Had the documentation been checked in this way, by two qualified staff, the wrong rhesus factor blood could not have been administered. T his demonstrates how correct documentation supports safe nursing practice and facilitates patient safety as well as recording nursing actions. Not only should the mistake be rectified, the doctor in charge of the patient informed and sumoned to examine the patient, and ongoing observations be carried out to ascertain if there are any side effects from the administration of the blood, but all of this should be clearly documented. Further, it should also be documented how this mistake occurred, through an examination of the documentation pertaining to the error and the actions of those who administered the blood. All medically releveant facts realted toan incident should be recorded in the medical records, according to the Trust and ward policies and protocols (Austin, 2006). A critical incident reporting from should also be completed, according to Trust policy, in order to ensure that risk management are informed and actions can be taken to prevent such occurrences in the future. Thus, such a form should also be completed for the percieved drug error. The NMC code of conduct states that nurses should act to identify and mini mise risk to the patient or client (NMC, 2004), and this applies to the action taken in the current situation and the potential protection of all clients in the future, in the avoidance of future errors of a similar nature. Another error which relates to documentation is the issue of the patient who was discharged inappropriately. It is understandable that the relative should be distressed and should be dealt with sensitively and apologetically. Liaison with management, risk management and any hospital or Trust agencies which deal with patient complaints should commence immediately. The most important issue here is to address the error, and not to question whether or not the error took place. It obviously did, because the patient arrived home in that state, and the usual discharge protocols cannot have been adhered to. If they had been, the discharge documentation should have been complete, and would have been communicated with the receiving district nursing team. The nurse plays a unique and pivotal role in discharge planning, as a key member of a multidisciplinary team (Fielo, 1998) role. If, as Bull and Roberts (2001) suggest, a proper discharge occurs in stages, and can be characterised by involveme nt of all team members within interacting circles of communication, then this discharge error should not have taken place at all. Therefore, any work done to address this error must examine where communication processes failed, and the documentation here should provide the evidence of where this failure occurred. Communication is fundamental to discharge planning, both between nurse and patient and between professionals across the divide between hospital and community services (Fielo, 1998), and so the documentation here should have been both individualised and comprehensive, functioning both as a record and as a communication tool. Effective discharge planning is also a vital link for continuity of care (Bull and Roberts, 2001), and so the failure of this process will lead to negative impact for the patient and their carers. Similarly, patient and carer participation is important in discharge planning (McLeod, 2006; Bull and Roberts, 2001). Research by Cleary et al (2003) demonstrates that consumers want information on medication, treatment, awareness of their rights and opportunities to participate in decision making. The nurse engaging in discharge planning also needs to take into account the needs and capabilities of carers (Qualey, 1997). The failure of the discharge planning process in this case therefore has a number of complex effects and may be shown to have failed in a number of key areas. It is also imperative that nurses value the social aspects of patient care and that this is seen as an integral part of the discharge process (Atwal, 2001). There are some ways in which this could be improved, and a close examination of what went wrong might highlight ways in which this could be avoided in future cases. The discharge documentation may need to be adapted to better reflect the processes and knowledge involved (Reed, 2005). This might ameliorate relationships between the acute and community sectors (McKenna and Keeney, 2000), and may prevent these errors occurring in the future. It might also be necessary, from the evidence of the available documents relating to the case, and from the ward rota, to identify who failed to properly discharge the patient so they can be engaged in education and development activities to develop their competence in this area. The documentation used should have served to enhance the ability to deal with this difficult situation (Sollins, 2007) by providing the family with the answers to their questions about what went wrong. Cheevakasemsook et al, (2006) in their study found that complexities in nursing documentation include three aspects: disruption, incompleteness and inappropriate charting. Of these, this scenario shows occurrences of incomplete documentation, whereby the documentation related to discharge planning has not been completed. Related factors that influenced documentation comprised: limited nurses competence, motivation and confidence; ineffective nursing procedures; and inadequate nursing audit, supervision and staff development functions (Cheevakasemsook et al, 2006). These findings suggest that complexities in nursing documentation require extensive resolution and implicitly dictate strategies for nurse managers and nurses to take part in solving these complicated problems (Cheevakasemsook et al, 2006). These are learning points to take forward into future professional development and practice. However, the more immediate needs would be to address the problems associated with these fail ures. The nurse must act to redress the balance and to minimise, for example, the potential litigation which may arise from this unfortunuate situation. The family are likely to make a formal complaint, and, depending on how this has affected the discharged patient, may even take legal action for compensation. In this instance, the incomplete discharge documentation demonstrates that the required nursing care did not take place (as there is no evidence of it in the records). Therefore, legally, the nurse taking care of this patient will be liable for the errors that have occurred. There are other issues to be considered, taking the wider view, in perhaps understanding why such errors occurred and how they can be avoided in subsequent cases. Hyde et al (2005) highlight the limitations of the forms of documentation (and the forms of communciation which characterise that documentation) within nursing practice. They suggest that this nursing documentation depicts the domination of reductionist medical models, utilising scientific rationality in linguistic and communication forms, rather than reflecting the holistic nature of nursing practice (Hyde et al, 2005). Therefore the documentation may be at odds with the autonomy of the patient, bringing up issues of control and power, where the documentation may serve to exert and maintain the power of the nurse or the medical profession rather than support the wellbeing of the patient (Hyde et al, 2005). Professional autonomy on the part of nurses demands a degree of mature clinical and ethical judgement in emergent and complex situations, and it is the documentation, if correctly completed, which should also signpost this process of judgement and decision making. But if the documentation is difficult to complete, onerous or time consuming, it may be that it detracts from the quality of patient care and the easy recording of this, rather than supporting it. Documentation provides the legal protection nurses require in modern healthcare practice (Frank-Strombourg et al, 2001). Educating nurses about the principles of documentation and the importance of implementing risk-reduction practices may help guard against liability and ultimately improve patient care (Frank-Strombourg et al, 2001). Perhaps developing better charts and records, in liaison with all staff, might also ameliorate the situation. The literature demonstrates unequivocally that nurses are the professionals that patients have the most interactions with in the hospital environment (Williams, 1997). The work and competence of the nursing staff is therefore perhaps the most significant factor in determining quality of patient care (Williams, 1997), and so it is vital to ensure that nurses record their practice accurately so that their competence can be audited, and the effectiveness of their practice evaluated. If, as suggested, evidence-based practice is now at the heart of nursing care (DOH, 2001), then documentation will also allow the implementation of evidence based practice, through care protocols and pathways, and through auditing processes and reflective practice which reviews care against the available evidence. Martin et al (1999), in their research of nursing documentation activities, found that good nursing documentation supported the implementation of evidence-based practice. This takes us back to the quality of the documentation processes, and it may be that they are under development – towards evidence-based care pathways or the like, or this kind of thing may need implementing. Utilising alternative modes of documentation may also enhance practice and recording behaviours. Lee (2006) in a study of one computerised documentation system in practice, found that nurses generally viewed the content of the computerized nursing care planning system as a reference to aid memory, a learning tool for patient care, and a vehicle for applying judgement to modify care plan content. This suggests that such tools may do more than simply streamline nurses work (Lee, 2006). It may be that using a computerized care plan system can also enhance nurses’ knowledge, experience and judgement of descriptions of patient problems and care strategies (Lee, 2006). It is my opinion that it may also serve to minimise the kinds of errors that have occurred in the assignment scenario. The nature of the documentation (ie the content and structure) may therefore need to be changed. O’Connor et al (2007) show how new, streamlined nursing charts improved planning and evaluation of care and served promote patient involvement in the care and documentation processes. In reference to the discharge planning incident in particular, this might be an area to develop within the clinical area. One innovation which supports this is that described by the NHS (2007) in The Essence of Care, which was launched in February 2001, as providing a toolkit to help practitioners to implement a structured approach to sharing and comparing practice, through principles of clinical governance, enabling them to identify the best and to develop action plans to remedy poor practice. This would appear to be a key activity in the longer term to develop from the learning points contained within this problematic scenario. These kinds of benchmarks and guidelines can provide useful guidance, in association with other activities such as evidence-based care pathways and protocols, to develop more streamlined and effective practices. Another point of action is the need to carry out specific empirical research into this area. In a systematic review of research literature to test the hypothesis that care planning and record keeping in nursing practice has no measurable effect on patient outcomes, the authors were unable to identify any robust studies for review (Moloney and Maggs, 1999). This suggests that the potential effects of documentation failures cannot be fully evaluated, anticipated or described without future research. This also underlines the need to ensure the highest possible standards of care are both implemented and fully documented throughout every stage and componenet of nursing practice. This analysis shows that documentation serves a number of purposes within nursing practice. It records care, demonstrating and communicating what procedures were carried out, when, and why. It rationalises clinical decisions and evaluates clinical and nursing actions. It also allows the direction and planning of care. It provides legal proof that nurses have followed proper protocolsand procedures for the administration of medicines and blood products, for the implementation of medical and nursing orders, and in particular supports complex activities such as discharge planning. Lack of proper documentation can indicate that proper procedures were not carried out. Poor documentation can lead to confusion and to patient compromise, whereby a patient may not receive the medication required, or may erroneously receive an overdose. Similarly, the blood error could have had significant consequences, and should not have occurred, given the nature of the procedures involved, and the clear li nks between safety and existing documentation. These errors point to either a lack of competence in basic nursing procedures, or a lack of care on the part of the staff who made them. Documentation would also have supported the D grade nurse here when dealing with the problems. The discharge planning errors could have been dealt with more effectively if the documentation had been complete. This would be their primary source of information when dealing with a patient complaint and a complaint from a district nursing colleague. The expectation on all parts that such records will be complete and will answer the questions raised by all parties places the responsibility firmly on the nurse to ensure they properly fulfill this vital part of their role. Nurses can engage in proper documentation of the errors and incidents noted so that they are appropriately and comprehensively dealt with now that the errors have been identified, and so can meet all the professional requirements of their role within this siutation (NMC, 2004). And all staff can learn from these incidents, and be included in processes of research, improvement and development to implement better documentat ion and care practices in the future. References Atwal, A.. (2002) Nurses’ perceptions of discharge planning in acute health care: a case study in one British teaching hospital. Journal of Advanced Nursing 39 (5) 450-458. Austin, S. (2006) Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, I present: the nursing documentation. Nursing 2006 36 (1) 56-65. Bjorvell, C., Wredling, R. and Thorell-Ekstrand, I. (2003) Prerequisites and consequences of nursing documentation in patient records as perceived by a group of Registered Nurses. Journal of Clinical Nursing 12 (2) 206–214. Bull, M.J. and Roberts, J. (2001) Components of a proper hospital discharge for elders. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 35 (4) 571-581. Cheevakasemsook, A., Chapman, Y., Francis, K., Davies, C. (2006) The study of nursing documentation complexities. International Journal of Nursing Practice 12 (6) 366–374. Cleary, M., Horsfall, J. and Hunt, G.E. (2003) Consumer feedback on nursing care and discharge planning. Journal of Advanced Nursing 42 (3) 269-277. Department of Health (2001) ‘National Service Framework for Older People’, England: HMSO. Fielo, S. B. (1998) Discharge Planning for the Elderly: A Guide for Nurses. Nursing and Health Care Perspectives Volume 19(2) 94-95. Frank-Stromborg, M., Christensen, A.and Elmhurst, D. (2001) Nurse documentation: not done or worse, done the wrong wayPart I. Oncology Nurses Forum 28 (4) 697-702. Hyde, A., Treacy, M., Scott, P.A. et al (2005) Modes of rationality in nursing documentation: biology, biography and the voice of nursing. Nursing Inquiry 12 (2) 66–77. Ting-Ting Lee, T-T. (2006) Nurses perceptions of their documentation experiences in a computerized nursing care planning system. Journal of Clinical Nursing 15 (11) 1376–1382. Macleod, A. (2006) The nursing role in preventing delay in patient discharge. Nursing Standard. 21 (1) 43-48. Martin, A. Hinds, C. and Felix, M. (1999) Documentation practices of nurses in long-term care. Journal of Clinical Nursing 8 (4) 345–352. Moloney, R. and Maggs, C. (1999) A systematic review of the relationships between written manual nursing care planning, record keeping and patient outcomes. Journal of Advanced Nursing 30 (1), 51–57. Nazarko, L. (2007) Care planning and documentation. Nursing Residential Care. 9(7). 333-6. NHS (2007) Essence of Care Available from: http://www.tin.nhs.uk/local-networks/essence-of-care/background. Accessed 10-5-07. Nursing and Midwifery Council (2004) Code of Professional Conduct Available from www. nmc-uk.org. Accessed 30-4-07. OConnor, K., Earl, T. and Hancock, P. (2007) Introducing improved nursing documentation across a trust. Nursing Times. 103(6) 32-33. Qualey TL. (1997) Assessing the patients caregiver. Nursing Management. 28(6): 43-4. Reed, J. (2005) Using action research in nursing practice with older people: democratizing knowledge. Journal of Clinical Nursing14 594-600. Sollins, H. (2007) Handling difficult family situations: practical approaches. Geriatric Nursing. 28(2) 80-2. Williams, S.A. (1997) The relationship of patients’ perceptions of holistic nurse caring to satisfaction with nursing care. Journal of Nursing Care Quality 11 (5) 15-29.

Symbol and Allegory :: essays research papers fc

The use of symbol in poetry and in literature as a whole is commonplace because it is an outlet for the author’s creative psyche. A symbol is a creative use of metaphor, using a comparison but not just a direct comparison. The author attempts to achieve the effect that there is much more than just the reader’s initial reaction creating a want to delve deeper into the true meaning, leaving a vast space of interpretation. Allegory on the other hand is a specific comparison, a symbol that is set in its meaning. This would point towards the absolute meaning of the comparison the poet or author was trying to convey (in other words, a parallel). I have chosen the E.E. Cummings poem â€Å"l(a† because it not only encompasses the idea of symbolism through its need for interpretation, but also due to its simple beauty, creating a visual image of a leaf falling. Edward Estlin Cummings was born on October 14, 1894 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in his family’s home, within an extremely short distance of Harvard (Dreams 9). His word usage and literary abilities were garnered at a young age from his parents. His father Edward was a professor (in fact, the first professor of sociology at Harvard) and a Unitarian minister and his mother Rebecca utilized reading poetry and stories to her children. His father’s strong voice and use of wordplay from his sermons and his mother’s encouragement for E.E. to keep a diary starting at age five started to shape his craft at an early age (Revisited 11). Rebecca aspired for her son to be the next Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (the Cummings family lived across the street from the Longfellow home before E.E. was born) (Dreams 19). Edward Estlin was also a cubist painter in addition to being a poet. During World War I, E.E. Cummings was an ambulance driver in France and was imprisoned under the p retense of treason (Poets.Org). The experience led to one his more important works, The Enormous Room. Around the time of writing â€Å"l(a† E.E. Cummings health was in a very poor state. The poetry reading tours he took part in were furthering his terrible stomach problems in which he had been suffering from around 1955-56 (Dreams 459). In late 1957, his stomach ailments came to a head when a bleeding polyp was discovered in his colon. He spent his sixty-third birthday in a hospital bed and then spent six months in recovery while his â€Å"wife† Marion (of whom he was never actually married to) was in New York (Dreams 461).