Selecting A Prevention Of Medical Errors Course

By Imelda Reid


When a report was published in the 1990s by the Institute of Medicine in the United States, it became obvious just how many patients were dying as a result of ignorance regarding proper safety precautions. It was shocking to discover that more patients were dying from a failure in this regard than from motor vehicle accidents or cancer. As a result of this report, there has been a focus on patient safety by the medical profession. Practitioners are able to continue their education online by taking a prevention of medical errors course.

Many of these providers offer their courses online and it is sometimes difficult to decide between all of those on offer. When making a decision it is important to find out whether the provider is approved by the appropriate medical authorities. The courses should contain certain content and an experienced, approved provider will know exactly what this content should be.

The learning objectives of such courses are to identify error-prone situations and factors that increase risk. Strategies are learned to reduce their occurrence. Populations that are particularly vulnerable are also identified. Root cause analysis and reporting requirements are covered too.

The courses should also offer an indication of events that should never, ever occur and that are usually not covered by medical aids if they occur. Some of these events are air embolisms, foreign objects left in patients after surgery and blood incompatibilities. An issue such as wrong surgery on a patient or surgery on the wrong patient should never, ever occur but it does still happen. Various conditions that are frequently misdiagnosed should also be covered such as cardiac, cancer and neurological related illnesses. Another issue is the time taken to respond to complications of surgery.

Most of the online courses take two hours to complete and the level of instruction is simple and concise. Such courses make continued education more convenient. It is a simple matter of the individual going online, registering and taking the course in their own time and from a location they choose.

This flexibility is one of the best aspects of being able to do such courses online, especially for medical practitioners who are often very busy people. There are courses that are specially designed for different practitioners. One designed for a nurse will be different than one designed for a doctor.

In the United States there is an electronic tracking system. A provider of continued education should report credits to the official tracking systems used to determine compliance. Certain states such as Florida require practitioners to complete a two hour course in order to receive their license or renew it. If the continuing education records of a practitioner are complete, they are able to renew their license without interruption.

Whether it is part of the required legislation or not, taking such a course is beneficial for any practitioner. When it comes to patient safety, a practitioner can never know enough or do enough. Preventative measures taken can reduce risks greatly and ensure that less patients suffer unnecessary complications and even deaths as a result of errors.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment

Selecting A Prevention Of Medical Errors Course

By Imelda Reid


When a report was published in the 1990s by the Institute of Medicine in the United States, it became obvious just how many patients were dying as a result of ignorance regarding proper safety precautions. It was shocking to discover that more patients were dying from a failure in this regard than from motor vehicle accidents or cancer. As a result of this report, there has been a focus on patient safety by the medical profession. Practitioners are able to continue their education online by taking a prevention of medical errors course.

Many of these providers offer their courses online and it is sometimes difficult to decide between all of those on offer. When making a decision it is important to find out whether the provider is approved by the appropriate medical authorities. The courses should contain certain content and an experienced, approved provider will know exactly what this content should be.

The learning objectives of such courses are to identify error-prone situations and factors that increase risk. Strategies are learned to reduce their occurrence. Populations that are particularly vulnerable are also identified. Root cause analysis and reporting requirements are covered too.

The courses should also offer an indication of events that should never, ever occur and that are usually not covered by medical aids if they occur. Some of these events are air embolisms, foreign objects left in patients after surgery and blood incompatibilities. An issue such as wrong surgery on a patient or surgery on the wrong patient should never, ever occur but it does still happen. Various conditions that are frequently misdiagnosed should also be covered such as cardiac, cancer and neurological related illnesses. Another issue is the time taken to respond to complications of surgery.

Most of the online courses take two hours to complete and the level of instruction is simple and concise. Such courses make continued education more convenient. It is a simple matter of the individual going online, registering and taking the course in their own time and from a location they choose.

This flexibility is one of the best aspects of being able to do such courses online, especially for medical practitioners who are often very busy people. There are courses that are specially designed for different practitioners. One designed for a nurse will be different than one designed for a doctor.

In the United States there is an electronic tracking system. A provider of continued education should report credits to the official tracking systems used to determine compliance. Certain states such as Florida require practitioners to complete a two hour course in order to receive their license or renew it. If the continuing education records of a practitioner are complete, they are able to renew their license without interruption.

Whether it is part of the required legislation or not, taking such a course is beneficial for any practitioner. When it comes to patient safety, a practitioner can never know enough or do enough. Preventative measures taken can reduce risks greatly and ensure that less patients suffer unnecessary complications and even deaths as a result of errors.




About the Author: