Prevention of Medical Errors

Course Description:

The Prevention of Medical Errors course was designed to educate the healthcare professional with respect to medical errors in the healthcare setting. This course will provide participants with a critical analysis of the prevention of medical errors; including, definition of medical error; root cause analysis; error reductions and prevention; patient safety; teamwork and communication; pharmacological components of physical and occupational therapy; and therapy management of indications and contraindications.

Course Author:

Mary Smith, RPT

Methods of Instruction:

Online course available via internet

Target Audience:

Physical Therapists, Physical Therapist Assistants, Occupational Therapists, and Occupational Therapist Assistants 

Educational Level:

Intermediate

Prerequisites:

None

Course Goals and Objectives:

At the completion of this course, participants should be able to:

1.   Recognize what encompasses a medical error
2.   Define sentinel event
3.   Identify factors that could affect clinical practice
4.   Recognize reasons for a wrong-site surgery
5.   Recognize the Joint Commission's incidence report on sentinel events
6.   Recognize the key criterion in identifying a patient's fall risk
7.   Identify environmental hazards that can lead to fall risks
8.   Recognize ways of reducing patient suicide through education
9.   Identify common medication dispersing errors and recognize prevention goals
10. Recognize the components of successful teamwork in the healthcare setting

Criteria for Obtaining Continuing Education Credits:

A score of 70% or greater on the post-test