Courses

COURSE INTRODUCTION Every facility in which healthcare services are provided is at risk of having a medical error. While the focus for promoting patient safety has primarily been on hospitals, with their increasing utilization, ambulatory surgical centers are at risk for some of the worst types of medical errors, such as wrong site surgery. This course has been developed to help nurses and other healthcare providers increase their knowledge of patient safety in ambulatory surgical centers by becoming more familiar with current studies on the causes of medical errors and how to help prevent them. To complete this course, you must do the following: - Read the Overview and Learning Objectives. - Study the Terminology. - Study the Content. - Complete the Learning Activity. - Complete the Post Test with a passing score of 80% or more. OVERVIEW This course is organized around the following categories: - Introduction - The New Focus on Patient Safety - Types of Medical Errors - A Culture of Patient Safety - Patient Safety In Ambulatory Surgery Centers - NPSG for Ambulatory Surgery Centers - Universal Protocols - Conclusion PURPOSE/OVERALL GOAL The purpose of this program is to provide physicians, nurses and surgical technicians an understanding of the causes and prevention of medical errors in an ambulatory surgical center setting. LEARNING OBJECTIVES After completing this course, the learner should be able to: - Explain the current focus on patient safety. - Describe how a "culture of safety" is being established in healthcare. - Define types of medical errors and describe their sources. - Explain steps you can take to help prevent medical errors. - Describe patient safety practices for ambulatory surgical centers.