Antibiotic stewardship is a movement to improve antibiotic use through evidence-based practice. Team members become the stewards of antibiotics. This helps these medications continue to effectively fight infections. Antibiotic stewardship follows core elements to improve the use of antibiotics and their outcomes. This course discusses the core elements and benefits of an antibiotic stewardship program.
 

Medical errors and unanticipated outcomes not only have the potential for devastating consequences, but they are a relatively common occurrence in healthcare. Accordingly, providers must be well-versed in understanding the basic steps of disclosing these events to patients and their families, as well as the legal ramifications of such action. Fortunately, there are models and ethical frameworks that help guide these decisions and conversations, but every provider must determine the approach that is best for their practice.  

Alcohol use disorder is a primary health condition that interacts with and complicates many other health problems and psychiatric disorders. Unfortunately, only a small number of people with alcohol use disorder receive appropriate treatment for substance use issues. The incorporation of screening for alcohol use disorders in a general medical setting can significantly increase the number of individuals with alcohol use disorders who are identified and treated. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved 4 medications to treat alcohol use disorder, making treatment in primary care and other general medical settings a viable alternative to specialty care. This course will give you valuable information about these medications as well as several medications used off-label.

Medication errors and substandard care occur often in today’s complex healthcare organizations. High-reliability organizations remain alert to potential errors and ways in which they can be prevented, regardless of how few adverse events occur. Healthcare organizations with a culture for patient safety focus on identifying the cause of errors and applicable prevention strategies rather than blaming or punishing the people involved in an error. Organizations that focus on patient safety in this manner have higher rates of error reporting and are better positioned to address problems at the systems level.

The goal of this course is to educate healthcare professionals about approaches to prevent medication errors.

This course is designed to enhance the skills of healthcare professionals in conducting effective medication reconciliation with the aim of avoiding medication errors. Learners will explore core concepts of medication reconciliation, review common sources of medication reconciliation discrepancies, and learn practical strategies to minimize errors in the medication reconciliation process.

The current opioid use epidemic has had devastating consequences for those impacted by it. Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is an effective, yet underused, approach to the treatment of opioid use disorder. By taking this course, you will have information that you can share with your clients and their family members about what MOUD is, its risks and benefits, and the types of medications used in MOUD. The goal of this course is to provide addictions, behavioral health counseling, marriage and family therapy, nursing, psychology, and social work professionals in health and human services settings with an overview of what MOUD is, how it can help individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD), and the medications used by providers that treat OUD.