Patient safety officer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Patient safety officer - Essay Example e that standards of the institution are maintained to meet the needs of the client, and continuous improvement of systems in response to hazards that may occur are important in patient safety. By developing the hospital staff through trainings, workshops, drills, et cetera, there will be improvement in rendering care towards clients. Responsibilities of the patient safety officer include overseeing if standards for safety are followed, taking action for hazards, and facilitating staff development activities. As a responsibility of health care institutions to prevent patients from acquiring hospital-associated infections (HAI), infection control programs are given importance in hospitals. Recent studies propose that the use of evidenced-based practices (EBPs) can help prevent HAIs (Yokoe & Classen, 2008, p.S3). In addition, monitoring of performance based on patient outcomes are recommended evaluative measures. Documentation of infections that occur, if any, as well as the outcomes of EBPs application are important ways to â€Å"improve care and as a means to enable customers to choose safer care† (p.S6). In the United States, the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Health care Organizations directs the participation of health care facilities in hazard surveillance rounds (Prezant, et al., p.92). This is done to assess compliance gaps and identify hazardous conditions, performed semiannually in hospitals and annually in clinics (p.92). It is the duty of the safety officer or manager to lead the activity, record the process, report data, and facilitate improvements with the safe committee (p.92). Risks or hazards identified are managed according to the four Ts strategy of terminating, treating, transferring, and tolerating which may also be adapted in health care. Termination can be done either by making changes in materials used or terminating the operation associated with the risk (Stephans, 2004, p.121). Treatment is performed by applying controls that

Harrison Bergeron Essay Example for Free

Harrison Bergeron Essay In the short story, â€Å"Harrison Bergeron†, Kurt Vonnegut portrays a society in which â€Å"everyone is equal†. Through the efforts of the Handicapper General, all persons who were endowed with anything more than moderate talents are forced to wear various devices meant to make everyone equal, intellectually and physically. Through showing his audience what a truly â€Å"equal† society could be, as well as how government could regulate equality, Kurt Vonnegut clearly makes the point that truly equality leads to a loss of true individuality within a society. Each person in society has talents that another does not, which is what creates diversity in our communities and careers. By removing this diversity from society by making every person equal, the government is inviting its own demise. The first example of how idealistic equality creates a lack of individuality is in the scene where George and Hazel Bergeron are watching ballerinas on television. George notes, â€Å"They weren’t really very good – no better than anybody else would have been, anyway†. By leveling the playing field, and forcing ballerinas to wear weights and masks to hide their talent and beauty, the Handicapper General has taken away from the dancers their unique talents for dancing and eliminating any competition between ballerinas. If all dancers must be equal, this eliminates the need for any one ballerina to spend extra time practicing, or trying to be a better ballerina. This, in turn, could create a less than desirable work ethic, as the ballerinas do not have to work as hard to be competitive. As Philip Fetzer explains, â€Å"†¦ even if it were possible to create a society based on equality of ability, it would not be desirable to do so. A society without differences of ability would generate no leaders, no great works of art or literature, no new ideas. The society would quickly stagnate†. The second instance in which Vonnegut shows his readers the impact of an equal society is when George and Hazel are talking about what society would be like without handicaps to make everyone equal. George cannot think for more than a few seconds at a time because of the handicap that he must wear in his ear, to distract him from his thoughts by blaring loud noises at random. All people who have above â€Å"average† intelligence are required to wear such a device to eliminate any unfair intellectual advantage over others. However, by scaring off the thoughts of truly intelligent people, the government is also creating a society in which nothing will ever change. Without the truly intelligent men and women in any society, there are no new inventions or new ideas that, in the past, have revolutionized a society. By making all people intellectually equal, the government and the society itself will remain unchanged and unadvanced. Ironically, George believes that without handicaps to keep everyone equal, â€Å"pretty soon we’d be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else†. However, without competition, society would revert to the dark ages, unable to compete with other societies and develop new technology and innovation. As Christopher Alexion points out, human beings must be careful with creating equality, because of the risk of taking it â€Å"to extremes that eventually destroy whatever it was we were trying to protect. Thats why our efforts toward equality need vitally to be guided by a love of liberty. Naked equality is just another name for tyranny – for if everyones going to be equal in all aspects, then no one can really be free†. The final example of the effect of a truly equal society occurs when Harrison Bergeron appears on television with all of his clanking weights and extreme handicaps. Harrison is athletic and intelligent, and has an obscene amount of handicaps because of this. Harrison attempts to overthrow the government, by declaring himself â€Å"the Emperor†, and removing all of his handicaps, as well as those of his chosen Empress. By having independent thoughts and beliefs, Harrison leads his own revolution in an attempt to change society for the better. Harrison sees that the constant equality means that people are no longer competitive, and he decides to try to change that. However, he is killed by the government in the process, and any dreams of change die with him. As Steven Saus notes, â€Å"The maximization of human potential and the potential of society can only be achieved by allowing all individuals to have the best opportunity to succeed within the limits of their primary characteristics†. Any person who has new ideas or tries to initiate change within an equal society would be met with the same fate, and consequently, nothing would ever change. By creating a society in which every person is equal, Kurt Vonnegut is able to show his readers how devastating to a society equality could be. At a time when political correctness is a must, and society strives for equality, it is easy to see how true equality could lead to a lack of diversity and competition within a society. Although Vonnegut’s society was a fictional one, a society similar to the one in â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† would become a stagnant and unmotivated environment, falling behind in innovation and invention. Ultimately, the equality in this story will lead to the demise of the society.

Greek Gods - The Historical Background Essay -- Classics

Greek Gods - The Historical Background Greek gods were an essential part of Greek mythology. Our proper knowledge of the ancient Greek gods can be traced back to Homer who wrote The Iliad and The Odysse. It is also believed that the myths were heavily influenced by the Mycenaean culture that existed in Greece from 1700 to 1100 BC. However there is some evidence that the beginnings of Greek mythology and beliefs can be traced back to the ancient Middle Eastern cultures. There are many similarities between the mythology of these ancient Middle Eastern cultures and the ancient Greeks. Greek Gods - Religious & Social Background The Greek gods were created in order to explain the world around them in order to put a reason or explanation behind everything, and to provide entertainment for the masses. In the Greek religion however there was not a sole source or reading that could be studied and preached, i.e. Muslims study the Koran, and Christians the Bible. However the Greeks were broader and less strict in the way they practised their faith, each different Greek city-state would devote itself to a particular god or a set of gods, and depending on the location of the state the characteristics of the gods could vary many city-states erected temples to their particular gods, and these gods were honoured in festivals and animal sacrifices. The ancient Greek gods were believed to take on human form and lived in a society similar to human society, ...

The Two Towers :: essays research papers

The Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers Frodo and Sam lower down on an elf rope, Sam isn’t very good in that and drops a piece of bread. When Frodo tried to catch it he fell down. It didn’t hurt him because there were only a few more meters. During the night they caught Gollum who wanted them to give him the ring of Power. Sam thought that Gollum only want to kill them, but Frodo knew that the creature Gollum was the person Smà ©agol a long time ago. In the lands of Rohan Aragorn, Gimbly and Ligulas were searching for Merry and Pippin. In the morning a red sun came up, which mean that someone died. A few minutes later they saw a group of horsemen. They let them pass and then they asked if they had seen the two. The cousin of the king, who is the leader of the group, told them that they saw a troop Uruk Hais and that they had killed them. The elf, the man and the dwarf were given two horses. Later in the Fangorn wood they tried to fight against the white wizard, but he is too strong. Shortly after that he showed them his true face. They couldn’t belief their eyes – it was Gandalf. He told them that Merry and Pippin were saved and that he would go to the capital of Rohan. The king wasn’t able to do what he wants when they arrived. Gandalf helped him and the king through his adviser out of his lands because he had a black character. The king decided to go to Helms Clam, where his nation should be saved. Gandalf didn’t have the same opinion and ridded away. On the way there they were attacked by War riders. In the fight Aragorn fell into a river. The kings adviser arrived in Isengard and told Saruman about the plan of the king. With this information Saruman sent his troops to Helms Clam. Merry and Pippin were in the middle of a huge wood with an Ent. The Ent made a Enting to decide if the two were orcs or if they are from Auenland. But M and P wanted him to fight against the dark side. His only answer was that the Ents had never fought a war. The Ents didn’t want to fight, but Merry and Pippin pleased them to bring them to Isengard.

Concert Paper About Blue Man Group

Sarah DeMattio LA 321-801 Concert Paper 2/2/13 Though I had often heard of them growing up, I never really knew who, or what, Blue Man Group was. When my nineteenth birthday came along earlier this past January, my best friend decided that in celebration of my birthday, we would be solving our own age-long mystery about Blue Man Group. We were going to a show to see what exactly it was that these blue men did. My initial reaction was certainly less than satisfied when my best friend told me that she got us tickets to see Blue Man Group for my birthday.I remembered a discussion we had had a few months prior when we spoke avidly about how our parents always made references to something called â€Å"the blue man group† as we were growing up, and that we still to that day had no idea what it was or why it was being referenced in the first place. Though still not completely convinced, I bit my tongue, thanked my friend for the gesture, told her I could not wait to see the show, and calmed myself with the thought that at least finally, my questions of the smurph band would be answered. On January 6th, 2013, my friend Kaya and I made our way downtown.We had tickets to see the 8 p. m. show of Blue Man Group at the Astor Place Theater. Upon arrival to the venue, my reservations about the experience became even more acute; the theater looked like some kind of underground grunge dungeon I’ve heard about and warned of. We entered the theater lobby where I immediately noticed the concession and souvenir stand, because aside from the usual assortments of cookies, popcorns and soft drinks, the top recommended item to buy was a poncho. My suspicions instantly hit their zenith. â€Å"Kaya, what the heck did you bring me to?! Kaya laughed off my remark and once we were seated, elaborated about the ponchos. She told me that contrary to typical shows, where the closer your seat is to the stage in orchestra, the more expensive the seat becomes, Blue Man Group actuall y offers a discounted price for the first 5 rows of Orchestra. The â€Å"splash zone,† if you will. And that of course, explains the need for ponchos. Our seats happened to be the first row behind the last row of the â€Å"splash zone†, so obviously I spent the entire show holding my breath a little in fear that bodily fluids of any kind would make their way to me. They didn’t, thankfully.Blue Man Group consisted of three men that were all bald, blue, wore black clothing, and had extremely large mouth capacities. My favorite moment of the entire 105-minute show is hard to decide, both honestly and to my surprise. One of my top favorite and most impressed moments of the show was each time the men played their large bongo-type, garbage receptacles as drums. Two men played their own drums simultaneously while the third man stood in the middle of the two and squirted different colored liquids onto the drums, thus splashing colorful water everywhere and creating some kind of a rainbow waterfall.It was both visually fantastic and musically pleasing. The Blue Man Group’s abilities varied, but certainly never failed to impress. I cannot really describe what they played, or even did. They seem to have a knack for making instruments out of anything but instruments, and creating art with anything but art supplies. The combination of the sarcastic, poking-fun-at-society nature of the Blue Man Group along with their quirky abilities, talents, and looks, was what made the entire experience such a pleasantly surprising and enjoyable one.I am not a big fan of freaky looking characters that do odd things, spit into the audience, and chew Captain Crunch cereal in harmony, but for Blue Man Group, I made the exception and would again and again in a heartbeat. The show was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It is a different and interesting approach to having fun, and I am determined to make any other doubters in my life see what Blue Man Gro up is all about for themselves.

Mental Health Essays

Mental Health Essays Mental Health Paper Mental Health Paper Introduction In this essay, the author will discuss the mental health issues among the youths. The mental problems as it relate to the general health and also discuss the mental health promotions. The author will then discuss on how changes in lifestyle could improve mental health. Finally, it worth’s mentioning that there are some professional help out there for people experiencing mental problems. Mental illness can be defined as the experiencing of severe and distressing psychological symptoms to the extent that normal functioning is impaired, and one needed some form of help in order to recover, Anthony (1999). Some of the symptoms include anxiety, depressed mood, obsessional thinking, delusions and hallucinations. WHO described mental health as â€Å" a state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community†, WHO (2004). The understanding of mental health includes the awareness that mental health is broader than an absence of mental disorders, that poor mental health affects our ability to cope with and manage our lives, (Department of health and children 2006). This means that mental health and mental well-being are part of everyday life. In the area of mental health promotion, the national health promotion strategy states that† mental health is equally as important as physical health to the overall well-being of a person† and set out the strategic aim of promoting positive mental health and contributing to a reduction in the percentage of the population experiencing poor mental health. (The National health promotion Strategy, 2000-2005). Some of the strategies include; focusing on enhancement of well-being rather than illness, identifying the whole population as a target group. The author will present their argument in support of this statement, taking into account any relevant counter-arguments. As a student mental health nurse, to do otherwise would seriously affect their ability to care for patients of involuntary status or receiving coercive treatment, and create a potentially irresolvable ethical dilemma. Involuntary inpatient admission, and other forms of coercive treatment given to patients, is justified where the person is considered to be a risk to themselves or others. It is considered to be a paternalistic act of last resort where the person is seen as not possessing the competence to manage their own affairs, or where they present the possibility of harming others. Critics will argue that behaving in this matter undermines a persons’ autonomy. The problem with such highly principled statements is that they tend to overestimate the degree of autonomy available to people. Free will itself is, to a greater or lesser degree, a fantasy we indulge ourselves in. We, each of us, are a product of our environment and upbringing and our autonomy will always be limited as a consequence (Baggini and Fosl 2007). As paternalism towards children is justified due to their lack of autonomy, why not towards adults whose autonomy is limited as a result of acute mental illness? The author would agree with this assertion. Mill (2007) supported this, stating that such actions ultimately increase a persons’ autonomy and prevent any further decline. The wording of the statement, pitting needs versus needs, subscribes to the utilitarian school of thought in ethics, that of obtaining the greatest good for the greatest number. Subscribers to this school would argue that individual freedoms may be restricted if doing so protects a majority. Pure utilitarianism is problematic in that it could be used to justify gross breaches of individuals’ rights in pursuit of the â€Å"greater good†, lending weight to the slippery slope argument often espoused by critics. What constitutes an appropriate level of risk to justify coercive treatment? How great must the level of disturbance to others be? The author believes that utilitarianism has its’ place. The slippery slope argument would perhaps have some credence if such actions could be taken without justification, however in Ireland we have both the Mental Health Act (Department of Health and Children 2001) and the Mental Health Commission to safeguard service users’ rights and autonomy as far as is possible and to ensure that healthcare professionals are accountable for such actions. Also, use of such guidelines ensures that when coercive treatment is deemed necessary, it is not overt and must be justifiable (O’ Brien and Golding 2003). While it is our ethical duty to ensure that our service users receive justice, at times a sacrifice of justice may be required in order to ensure the greatest good for the community. It is thus important that all healthcare workers in the Mental Health setting foster a highly developed code of personal ethics in relation to such situations. We must also consider how this impacts on the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence. Some would say that by limiting a persons’ liberty, mental health services are harming them. Perhaps the person would resolve their difficulties without needing to resort to such drastic measures? However, these steps are only taken in cases where the person is believed, following assessment under strict criteria, to be a risk to themselves or others and incapable of seeing to their affairs. Again, following consequentalist theory, the author believes that it is outcomes that truly matter (Dooley and McCarthy 2005). What of the suicidal person that kills themselves? The paranoid schizophrenic that kills their neighbour, or the manic individual that spends all their life savings in a week? While this happens in a very small percentage of cases, the author believes that involuntary admission and coercive treatment are justified if even one such event is prevented. Furthermore, we must consider the effects these events have on how mental illness is perceived by the wider community, and the damaging effects of the public stigma arising from them. While hospitalisation carries its’ own stigma, negative portrayals of a small number of incidents involving people diagnosed with mental illnesses by the media causes far more damage and can lead to people being ostracised by their community, damaging support networks that may otherwise help them in staying well. It is also the authors’ experience that in many cases, a persons’ community are unaware that they have been admitted for inpatient care, whether voluntary or involuntary. In conclusion, the author believes that they have stated why they believe coercive treatment may be justified at times to protect both patients and their communities. They have shown their belief that the existence and use of strict criteria for such treatment ensures that it is not overused or abused. They have shown that such treatment follows utilitarian principles, and stated their belief that it ultimately helps improve outcomes for patients in our care, and helps protect others from any consequences of actions the person may have taken. They have shown that they do not believe that coercive treatment necessarily compromises a patients’ right to be treated with beneficence and non-maleficence, because the outcome is arguably better than would have been the case without such intervention. Finally, this argument underscores the importance of maintaining and adhering to a strong ethical code. Given the freedom to practice we are permitted in Mental Health services, we owe both the public and our patients no less.

Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health The WritePass Journal

Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health Introduction, Background and Aims Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health Introduction, Background and Aims  The Problem – Innovation GapCore Elements of the GSPAOngoing Monitoring on ImpactConclusionsReferencesRelated Introduction, Background and Aims The Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (GSPOA) established by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2008 suggested that the WHO should take a central role when it comes to managing the relationship between innovation, intellectual property and the provision of health services across the globe. As noted in the background understanding of the strategy set out by the WHO, 4.8 billion people are living in what is considered to be a developing country, with 2.7 billion of those living on a budget of less than two US dollars a day[1]. Linking this to the provision of healthcare services and the recognition that communicable diseases are often central to the mortality rate in these countries, the WHO recommended looking at how new products could legally be managed so that they are made available to fight diseases within the developing countries, thus providing the necessary foundation for the pharmaceutical industry, so that there woul d be no gap in treatment between the developed and developing regions[2]. The purpose of this report is to consider how effective the strategy has been in terms of dealing with the issues of neglected diseases and ensuring that individuals have access to medicines, based on their needs and not determined by where they live or their financial resources. This paper will first look at the perceived problems that were to be addressed by the strategy in terms of the innovation gap and why the developing regions seem to be lagging behind where access to medicine is concerned. It will also explore the link that has been established between accessibility and the ability to protect intellectual property, and encourage innovation. The key elements of the strategy, including how these are to be prioritised will then be looked at, to ascertain which are likely to encourage such innovation and the legal provisions that are likely to be formative in achieving this. Consideration will then be given to regional platforms and ways in which this strategy has been applied in localised developing regions, as well as identifying any ongoing issues that have emerged in more recent years; finally, recommendations will be made for the future, in order to deal with any weaknesses in the original agenda of the strategy.   The Problem – Innovation Gap Before looking at whether or not the strategy and subsequent legal approach has been successful in addressing neglected diseases and improving general levels of access to medicine, it is first necessary to consider the stated problems which the strategy aims to deal with and the way in which it viewed the issue of innovation, at the outset, when setting out the appropriate strategy to deal with this gap[3]. The need to deal with the issue of access to basic medical care is increasingly important according to the international agenda for global health. Much of this has been encouraged by the HIV pandemic taking place in the developing countries at a much more serious rate than that the experience of the more developed locales[4]. With this in mind and in the context of the introduction of the World Trade Organisation Agreement on trade related aspects of intellectual property rights by offering patent protection to pharmaceutical products, there is increasing attention being placed on issues relating to the availability and pricing of the essential medicines[5]. The issue of dealing with the innovation gap and the resulting gap in the availability of medicines between the developing and developed regions is something that emerged during the 2008 strategy and is also central to the research undertaken by the Commission on Health Research and Development, back in the 1990s, where commitments were made as part of the millennium development goals to ensure that activities would be undertaken to benefit some of the poorest countries in the world; for example, encouraging donations from both public and private sectors, in order to ensure that these countries were able to undertake their own research and development, thus reducing any disparity that existed within global health. Despite this commitment, the innovation gap remains, and this has led to the establishment of the 2008 strategy. Since the establishment of the 1995 World Trade Organisation protection of intellectual property rights relating to pharmaceutical products, there has been an ongoing tension between the ability of commercial organisations to achieve financial success as a result of patenting pharmaceutical products and the need to ensure consistent global health services. This tension was such that, in 2003, it was decided by the World Health Organisation that it was necessary to obtain the advice of an independent expert commission[6]. As a result, the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public Health established that there are key policy measures that need to be created, in order to fill in the gaps which have emerged in this area and to deal with the ever increasing disparity in health care services. In particular, the commission focused on the gap that existed in the innovation cycle. The commission saw the crucial step of breaking down the innovation cycle as a means of l ooking at the various stages of bringing medicines to the market and, critically, identifying any weaknesses within the developing regions that emerge as part of the innovation cycle. When looking at countries that have made essential innovative improvements, it is possible to identify more accurately how the developing countries could potentially improve in the future, so as to ensure that appropriate medicines becomes available on a needs’ basis, rather than on an economic basis. Recommendations were made on policy improvement in the area and as such the Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property was established[7]. The group worked with the notion that the development of innovation is a complex process and requires a wide range of policy areas to be considered including the actual scientific and medical fields, but also taking into account social, economic and historic factors, all of which are likely to be relevant when it comes to the underlying success of policy initiatives. Despite this, the focus remains on the concept of pharmaceutical innovation, which looks at the process of discovering, developing, producing and delivering medical products, as and when people require them. Each of these four steps is potentially relevant when considering why certain groups in certain countries do not achieve an acceptable level of health care. Any blockage at any of these stages will have a detrimental impact on the ability of individuals to be treated on a needs’ basis. By using health innovation as an ongoing cycle, several critical practical realities need to be considered[8]. Firstly, it is noted that any form of health innovation will continuously lead in to further health innovation and therefore it will be necessary for experts to have access to previously gained knowledge, before they can then develop this into new knowledge. Secondly, it is also noted that the development of new drugs in isolation is insufficient, as a health infrastructure is required in order to ensure that the correct people have access to the medical care that is produced. This is often perceived to be an underlying problem of intellectual property, in itself, as it may be possible for an individual within an industry to develop a new product or new process, but it is ensuring that this new product or process enters the market which ultimately makes it commercially viable. The health innovation market is no different and, whilst it may be possible for key individuals to develop new innovations, if there is no structure available to ensure that everyone gains access to these medicines, the cycle is broken and the underlying goal of the WHO is not achieved[9]. Therefore, in the developing regions, there is the difficulty, not only of lacking potential technical expertise to develop the drugs, but also of being unable to develop, produce and distribute any medical advancement, which will ultimately block the ability of key individuals to receive the treatment they require based on need. Core Elements of the GSPA Eight core elements are identified as relevant as part of this policy for legal and research reform. Each of these is considered briefly, in order to identify the impact that they have had on the overall development of the ability of developing countries to utilise health innovation in such a way that will benefit the necessary groups of individuals. Prioritising research and development needs: starting at the outset of the health cycle, the WHO ensured that a better understanding of the health needs of developing countries was required, so that any research and development is focused on these key areas. This crucial stage is vital when identifying neglected diseases as, without identifying the diseases to be targeted, it is difficult to ensure that appropriate innovation takes place. Promoting research and development: although there are multiple different ways of determining the innovative capacity of a particular region, the WHO feels that those responsible for ensuring that neglected diseases in the developing countries are managed more effectively should receive enhanced support to bring their research and development more in line with the developed regions. Building and improving innovative capacity: effective policies and regulations that will promote any abilities and capabilities that are emerging within the developing countries for health innovation; for example, allowing developing countries to undertake their own clinical trials and improving intellectual property protection, as well as the local production of pharmaceuticals. Technology transfer: a large amount of the focus here is placed on ensuring that capacity is noted in the developing regions for policies which also recognise that technology transfer and development is a key way in which the developing countries can gain at least some benefit from existing technologies in other regions[10]. For example, the TRIPS Agreement offered specific incentives for developed countries to work alongside developing regions; therefore, these incentives need to be reviewed, in order to ensure that they are sufficiently strong to encourage and develop countries to transfer technology wherever possible[11]. Application and management of intellectual property: there needs to be recognition that there is a requirement to strengthen capacity to allow intellectual property to be developed within developing regions. It has been proposed by the WHO that there needs to be a review of the application of intellectual property rights within health innovation, to offer incentives to promote the use of intellectual property in the developing countries, even where it may not be immediately perceived to be commercially beneficial. Improving delivery and access: as noted at the outset, establishing health innovation is merely one step in the innovation cycle and there needs to be a strong infrastructure in place to ensure that mechanisms are available to ensure that quality medicines are made available directly to those people who require them, at the correct time, with this being inherently linked to pricing and taxation. Ensuring sustainable financing mechanism: this core element looks more towards the long-term impact on the provision of healthcare services within the developing countries. Whilst there are often substantial financial injections into the developing countries, this needs to be made on a more sustainable footing in order to ensure that there are no substantial gaps in the financing of research and that the development cycle is continuous. Establishing a monitoring and reporting system: the final stage of the focus is to ensure that ongoing monitoring takes place and any potential gaps identified at the earliest opportunity, so that other aspects of the policy can be tweaked in order to encourage appropriate behaviour from both the developing countries themselves and also commercial organisations elsewhere which regularly interact with the developing regions, particularly when it comes to the provision of intellectual property and health innovation.   Ongoing Monitoring on Impact Having set out the various different policy approaches, it is proposed here that, if these were to be effectively applied, the developing countries would be in a much stronger position to ensure that health innovations are developed securely in relation to neglected diseases and are more readily available to those in need[12]. However, the strength of these policies really lies in their implementation and whether or not implementation has been successfully achieved, on a practical level. For this reason, the latter stage of this analysis looks at monitoring and evaluating the impact of these policies[13]. By looking in more detail at the area of the policy that is focused on establishing a robust monitoring and reporting systems, the WHO suggests that four areas need to be monitored, specifically. These include, the gap that exists in terms of health products and medical devices; the impact that intellectual property has on all aspects of the policies under scrutiny; the impact of any incentive mechanisms for transferring technology between the developed and developing regions; and finally, the level of investment in research and development, particularly in the developing regions[14]. The key difficulty when it comes to monitoring the impact of the strategy has been that it requires interactions among a variety of different entities, not all of whom are within the health sector. For example, it is necessary to look at the various political and economic issues, as well as goals, in order to gain an understanding of how effective the strategy is proving, from a practical perspective. Conclusions To a large extent, it is suggested here that the best approach for strategy implementation is to utilise regional platforms. By recognising that such a wide variety of landscapes exist among the various different countries, it is necessary to start at a regional level to develop platforms that will enable these regions to promote the underlying strategy, rather than focussing on one consistent approach. The same is true for the development of intellectual property, where having one overall global policy is simply impractical. Here, again, there is a need for intellectual property protection to take into account the demands from developing regions and for incentives to be provided to ensure that those producing medical developments are offered sufficient incentives to provide this information to the developing regions, despite reduced economic capabilities in these regions. When looking at this from a legal perspective and in particular the TRIPS Agreement, it can be seen that there are elements of incentives offered to ensure that developing countries are able t to attract at least some element of intellectual property development[15]; however, these need to be looked at in more detail, to encourage greater practical application, if the WHO strategy is to be successful and the gap between developing and developed countries is not to increase to an unsustainable level. Fundamentally, therefore, mechanisms need to be put in place in order to ensure that the commercial agents developing these medicines are encouraged to focus on those areas of greatest need, rather than on those areas with the greatest financial resources are able to pay for medicines that have been developed. It is concluded here, that there is always likely to be a disparity between commercial demands, as a result of intellectual property protection and health requirements weakening the position of the poorer regions. It is therefore down to international bodies such as the WHO to ensure that there is an incentive mechanisms are in place, in order to redress this imbalance as simple economic tools of supply and demand will not achieve this alone. References Abbott, F.M. (2005) ‘The WTO Medicines Decision: World Pharmaceutical Trade and   the Protection of Public Health’. American Journal of International Law 99(2): 317–58. Borrell, J.-R. (2007) ‘Pricing and Patents of HIV/AIDS Drugs in Developing Countries’.Applied Economics 39(4): 505–18 Branstetter, L., R. Fisman and C.F. Foley (2006) ‘Do Stronger Intellectual Property Rights Increase International Technology Transfer? Empirical Evidence from US Firm-level Panel Data’. Quarterly Journal of Economics 121(1): 321–49 Chaudhuri S. (2010), â€Å"RD for development of new drugs for neglected diseases in India†, Int. J. Technology and Globalisation, Vol. 5, Nos.  ½, pp. 61-75   Giaccotto, C., R.E. Santerre and J.A. Vernon (2005) ‘Drug Prices and Research and Development Investment Behavior in the Pharmaceutical Industry’. Journal of Law and Economics 48(1): 195–214. Ito, B. and R. Wakasugi (2007) ‘What Factors Determine the Mode of Overseas RD by Multinationals? Empirical Evidence’. Research Policy 36(8): 1275–87. Kremer, M. and R. Glennerster (2004) Strong Medicine: Creating Incentives for Pharmaceutical Research on Neglected Diseases. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. MSF (2001)., Drugs for Neglected Diseases Working Group and the Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines, Fatal Imbalance: The Crisis in Research and Development for Drugs for Neglected Diseases, MSF, Geneva. Lacetera N. and Orsenigo L. (2001), â€Å"Political regimes. technological regimes and innovation in the evolution of the pharmaceutical industry in the USA and in Europe†, paper prepared for the Conference on Evolutionary Economics, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, 30-31 March 2001 Ostergard, R.L. (2000) ‘The Measurement of Intellectual Property Rights Protection’. Journal of International Business Studies 31(2): 349–60. Resolution WHA61.21, â€Å"Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property†, i Sixty-First World Health Assembly, Geneva, 19–24 May 2008,   Volume 1. Resolutions and decisions. Geneva, World Health Organization Sampath P. (2010), â€Å"Global health innovation, big pharma and emerging trends†, in Reconfiguring Global Health Innovation: Creating Capacity for Disease of the Poor, Routledge Publishing, September 2010. Santa Cruz M. and Roffe P., â€Å"A review of recent developments at the multilateral level with respect to intellectual property and the pharmaceutical industry†, Journal of Generic Medicines 6, 323-331 World Health Organization (2006), Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property Rights, Report of the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public Health, WHO, Geneva, , p. 174. Yamin A. (2003), â€Å"Not Just a Tragedy: Access to Medications as a Right Under International Law†, Boston University Law Journal, vol. 21:325-372 [1] Resolution WHA61.21, â€Å"Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property†, i Sixty-First World Health Assembly, Geneva, 19–24 May 2008,   Volume 1. Resolutions and decisions. Geneva, World Health Organization [2] World Health Organization (2006), Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property Rights, Report of the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public Health, WHO, Geneva, , p. 174 [3] Ito, B. and R. Wakasugi (2007) ‘What Factors Determine the Mode of Overseas RD by Multinationals? Empirical Evidence’. Research Policy 36(8): 1275–87. [4] Borrell, J.-R. (2007) ‘Pricing and Patents of HIV/AIDS Drugs in Developing Countries’.Applied Economics 39(4): 505–18 [5] Santa Cruz M. and Roffe P., â€Å"A review of recent developments at the multilateral level with respect to intellectual property and the pharmaceutical industry†, Journal of Generic Medicines 6, 323-331 [6] Abbott, F.M. (2005) ‘The WTO Medicines Decision: World Pharmaceutical Trade and   the Protection of Public Health’. American Journal of International Law 99(2): 317–58. [7] Sampath P. (2010), â€Å"Global health innovation, big pharma and emerging trends†, in Reconfiguring Global Health Innovation: Creating Capacity for Disease of the Poor, Routledge Publishing, September 2010. [8] Ostergard, R.L. (2000) ‘The Measurement of Intellectual Property Rights Protection’. Journal of International Business Studies 31(2): 349–60. [9] Yamin A. (2003), â€Å"Not Just a Tragedy: Access to Medications as a Right Under International Law†, Boston University Law Journal, vol. 21:325-372 [10] Branstetter, L., R. Fisman and C.F. Foley (2006) ‘Do Stronger Intellectual Property Rights Increase International Technology Transfer? Empirical Evidence from US Firm-level Panel Data’. Quarterly Journal of Economics 121(1): 321–49 [11] Kremer, M. and R. Glennerster (2004) Strong Medicine: Creating Incentives for Pharmaceutical Research on Neglected Diseases. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. [12] Chaudhuri S. (2010), â€Å"RD for development of new drugs for neglected diseases in India†, Int. J. Technology and Globalisation, Vol. 5, Nos.  ½, pp. 61-75 [13] MSF (2001)., Drugs for Neglected Diseases Working Group and the Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines, Fatal Imbalance: The Crisis in Research and Development for Drugs for Neglected Diseases, MSF, Geneva. [14] Lacetera N. and Orsenigo L. (2001), â€Å"Political regimes. technological regimes and innovation in the evolution of the pharmaceutical industry in the USA and in Europe†, paper prepared for the Conference on Evolutionary Economics, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, 30-31 March 2001 [15] Giaccotto, C., R.E. Santerre and J.A. Vernon (2005) ‘Drug Prices and Research and Development Investment Behavior in the Pharmaceutical Industry’. Journal of Law and Economics 48(1): 195–214