Competency Maintenance in Electronic Fetal Monitoring August Release Available

Aug. 24, 2011 - PRLog -- Advanced Practice Strategies (APS), a leading provider of education solutions for risk management and patient safety, today announced the release of the Competency Maintenance (CM) module in Electronic Fetal Monitoring: Monitoring and Intervening for Late Decelerations. APS’s CM courses are a series of monthly reviews designed to keep clinicians’ skills sharp and to help them ensure the quality of care delivered. This month’s CM focuses on Category II fetal heart rate patterns involving late decelerations as well as the types of electronic instrumentation used for fetal heart rate monitoring and the appropriate clinical circumstances for their use.

Each Obstetric CM module stresses the clinical management of a case that involves team communication, care coordination, and key obstetric principles by placing clinicians into a complex medical scenario in which they will assess fetal heart rate tracings, interact with patients and team members, and make important clinical decisions. Each choice helps to identify potential gaps in the learner’s knowledge, and the module will provide a personalized learning path to help close those gaps. This month’s module involves the care of an obese 26-year-old with pregestational diabetes at 37 1/7 weeks, beginning with a routine visit for antepartum testing. In this scenario, clinicians must interpret fetal heart rate tracings, both antepartum and intrapartum, to determine the appropriate intervention under the circumstances. They are asked to evaluate whether a tracing is adequate for interpretation, how to obtain additional information if needed, and management options when the fetal monitoring identifies a concern.

“The APS Competency Maintenance series helps clinicians ensure their knowledge base remains current. Perhaps more importantly, it also provides an opportunity to practice applying what they know in a variety of complex, clinical situations—a critical skill, when not reinforced, becomes a major factor leading to adverse outcomes and litigation,” said Dr. Martin November, APS Chief Medical Officer. “This month’s module focuses on Monitoring and Intervening for Late Decelerations and specifically, when a patient’s habitus makes fetal monitoring difficult and management of oxytocin becomes a challenge—two problems obstetric clinicians encounter every day. The scenario reviews pragmatic solutions to ensure patients with these issues are cared for in the most appropriate and safest way possible.”  

Each module from the CM series provides a one half-hour case based interaction developed to reinforce and evolve a clinician’s understanding of the principles outlined in Advanced Fetal Assessment and Monitoring (AFAM), Managing Shoulder Dystocia, Operative Vaginal Delivery, and other APS courses by applying this knowledge in challenging circumstances.  The content reemphasizes concepts from the courses as well as introduces new material by presenting a context of complex medical scenarios that highlight pertinent clinical issues and applicable national standards.  

For more information about Competency Maintenance modules, released monthly, visit the APS website www.aps-web.com.

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About APS
Advanced Practice Strategies (APS) is dedicated to improving the lives of both patients and their caregivers through effective, innovative education solutions. APS’s flexible, state-of-the-art eLearning program has helped hospitals and clinicians reduce risk and enhance patient safety across the country. APS’s Demonstrative Evidence Group is the nation's leading provider of visual strategies and materials for courtroom defense against medical malpractice claims. Strategic partners include the Risk Management Foundation of the Harvard Medical Institutions and the Hospital Corporation of America. APS is headquartered in Boston, MA. For more information, visit www.aps-web.com.

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