The role of risk management has a significant impact on the quality outcomes of acute care organizations. It includes systems and validated processes aimed at assessing and developing interventions to mitigate risk factors and optimize quality outcomes. HCPs are stakeholders in the risk management process and can benefit from understanding risk management strategies and objectives. In this course, you will learn about risk management in the acute care setting.

The goal of this course is to provide healthcare professionals in acute care settings with information to enhance their understanding of the role they play in risk management along with proven strategies for ensuring quality outcomes in their professional practice in acute care settings. 

Within any healthcare organization, there are systems, policies, and procedures that can be improved or events that could have been prevented. A root cause analysis is a tool that helps healthcare organizations improve their systems by using a team process of discovery. When you understand how to use a root cause analysis, you can apply it to create better solutions, prevent adverse events, and create more effective and efficient systems. This course discusses what a root cause analysis is and how to use it.

When lifestyle modifications such as improving nutrition and increasing physical activity do not achieve adequate weight loss, pharmacotherapies may be needed. Pharmacotherapy is used as a supplement to lifestyle modifications and should only be implemented in patients who meet certain criteria and have a need to reduce their risk of obesity-related comorbidities. This course will review candidate criteria for weight management drugs, which drugs have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and their safety or effectiveness. It will also review dietary supplements used for weight loss and the lifestyle behaviors needed to increase the efficacy of pharmacotherapies. The goal of this course is to educate the healthcare team in the acute care setting on weight loss medications.

Substance use is linked to millions of deaths worldwide each year (Ritchie & Roser, 2019). Supporting individuals’ long-term recovery from substance use can help save lives. Recovery is a lifelong process that aims to keep an individual substance-free while improving their overall quality of life. Wellness strategies enhance recovery outcomes by focusing on optimal health across all dimensions of an individual’s life.

This course is designed to provide greater awareness of sexual harassment in the workplace, steps to take to prevent it, and methods to deal with it if it does occur. The course will focus on federal laws, liability issues, harassment policies, employee rights, supervisor responsibilities, and investigation procedures.

There are many reasons that it can be difficult working with certain people. There may be communication breakdowns, personality clashes, or conflicting work habits. You may not like everyone you work with, but you do have to respect everyone. By learning ways to reduce conflicts, you’ll likely become more respected, too. In this course, you’ll learn strategies to calmly address misunderstandings before they become actual conflicts. Professional relationships can improve when you know how to deal with differences, communicate clearly, and listen respectfully.

Writing incident reports is an important part of providing direct support services. Your reports help the person's support team respond effectively to their needs and keep them safe in the future. 

The goal of this course is to teach DSPs in IDD settings the key elements of an incident report, why they are important, and how to write them effectively.