Courses by Credit Type

In the current era of antibiotic stewardship, with the prevalence of bacterial resistance to multiple antibiotic agents, there has been an interest in using perioperative antiseptics to reduce microbial contamination in the surgical site before closure and possibly reduce the need for antibiotic agents. This program is intended to better understand the proper implications of the different types of wound irrigations in relation to SSIs, cost, and efficiency.

An overview of the types of chest drains, indications for effective use and key management factors will be described. The safe and effective use of chest drainage systems will be discussed so that nurses can provide high quality care for their patients to achieve optimal care outcomes.

This educational activity reviews the clinical team members roles related to fluid management, clinical considerations for use of fluid management, proper patient positioning, possible complications associated with fluid management, safety considerations and recognized (AORN, AAGL) standards of care.

Management of bleeding is an important part of any invasive procedure, and a wide variety of topical adjunctive hemostatic agents are available to supplement the surgeon’s application of conventional approaches to this critical outcome. This course begins with a description of the components of whole blood and the natural process of hemostasis, followed by an explanation of where topical hemostats act within this sequence of events.

Salina Regional Health Center saved $90,000 by implementing a lean inventory management process for their robotics service line. You'll hear best practices and key lessons learned from their success.

This program traces the evolution of methods of surgical hemostasis, reviews the risk factors for perioperative bleeding, highlights the steps in the coagulation cascade, and details the properties, mechanisms of action, components, and safety considerations for several categories of hemostatic, sealant, and adhesive agents.

This learning activity discusses alternative options for indwelling catheters that can reduce a patient’s risk for developing catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), a hospital-acquired infection that increases with duration of use of an indwelling catheter and costs the United States healthcare system millions every year.

Gloves are a common medical device used as barrier protection in the medical field. This continuing education discusses how latex surgical gloves are being replaced with synthetic alternatives to create latex-safe environments.

Kidney function is an essential vital sign for hospitalized patients. Identifying the first signs of acute kidney injury can help protect patients from advanced stages of kidney injury that can lead to the development of chronic kidney disease. Nurses and other frontline care providers can benefit from understanding the correct approach to tracking the renal health of their patients, including through accurate measurement of urinary output. They can also benefit from being familiar with technologies available to automate urinary output monitoring. Additionally, it is beneficial to understand which patients are at high risk for acute kidney injury so nurses and other members of the patient’s care team can collaborate to understand a patient’s renal function and act swiftly when this function changes to prevent long-term complications.

This CE activity will outline best practices for safe and effective inspection, processing and handling of rigid oral endoscopes, the Medical Device Manufacturers (MDM) instructions for use and guideline recommendations to ensure the instruments are patient ready.

All patients and members of the perioperative team deserve to be protected from the byproducts of surgical smoke and the potential complications that can follow. The decision about whether to evacuate surgical smoke is often left up to the surgeon’s discretion. But consistently using smoke evacuation equipment in the perioperative environment creates a safer environment for all.

Electrosurgery may be hazardous, so it is important that clinicians understand how electricity behaves and relates to electrosurgical function and applications can contribute to its safe use. Knowledge of the intraoperative and postoperative medical and nursing considerations and interventions can impact positive patient outcomes.

Learn how stronger teamwork and communication across multidisciplinary teams support program growth, and how improved scheduling and workflow management can increase robotic system utilization.

Review the problem of retained surgical items (RSI), including their economic and clinical implications. Assessing human factors, creating a safety, quality culture and how you, as a leader, can help reduce adverse events such as RSIs is also discussed. Strategies to reduce the incidence of RSIs and promote positive patient outcomes, including the role of adjunct technology, are outlined.

Understanding antegrade CTO techniques is essential, as most CTOs are initially approached in an antegrade fashion. Proficiency requires not only technical skill but also a detailed understanding of coronary anatomy, lesion morphology, vessel biomechanics, and procedural planning. This program expands upon foundational concepts and provides a comprehensive, structured exploration of antegrade CTO intervention.

Early mobilization is a key component for optimizing patient outcomes in the ICU. A standardized progressive mobility protocol provides an outline to develop and implement evidence-based interventions that will improve patient mobilization safely and effectively.

This ebook has been designed to assist perioperative professionals deliver safe and effective patient care when smoke evacuation is used during operative and invasive procedures. The topics presented include: what we know about surgical smoke; the best defenses against surgical smoke; recommended United States (US) practices, guidelines, standards and regulations as well as international recommendations/guidelines on surgical smoke; and suggested steps for implementing a smoke evacuation program.

Review advanced treatment strategies for the management of venous leg ulcers (VLUs) including maintaining an optimal environment for wound healing and the benefits of compression therapy to reduce pain, facilitate healing and prevent recurrence.

This ebook discusses foreign debris-initiated post-surgical complications and their associated pathological mechanisms. It reviews the sources of debris contamination, including a description of foreign microbody characteristics that can further amplify pathological responses. Strategies to determine the presence of lint in the OR and recommendations for minimizing their presence are highlighted.

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is considered a leading cause of disability and pain worldwide with an economic burden on the United States (US) health system of up to $100 billion every year. This educational activity will help learners achieve a greater understanding of the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of vertebrogenic LBP.