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Distance Education -> Prevention of Medical Errors for the Massage Therapist -> Chapter: 10
Conclusion
Medical errors are one of the leading causes of death and injury in the Nation's Healthcare System. Yet improving healthcare system protocols that are reinforced by a management grounded in patient safety and professional ethics can prevent the majority of errors. While not all medical errors end in death, it is wise for a healthcare organization to review all adverse treatment events, which may have contributed to a medical error. Consistent review would help to assess the potential for a similar adverse event to occur in the future, and whether it could be prevented.
Medical errors don't necessarily only happen at hospitals. They can occur almost anywhere healthcare is being administered to a patient. This could be a long-term patient in a hospital, a person taking prescription medication at home, or a person receiving a massage at a massage therapy establishment. Medical errors can occur during routine tasks involving medicines, hospital stays, surgery, diagnosis, equipment, lab reports, and system failures.
By implementing the procedures discussed in this course, the massage therapist and bodyworker will become vigilant in reducing the risk of medical errors of execution: performing the wrong technique on an area resulting in an injury or causing an injury, including endangerment sites; and medical errors of planning: implementing the wrong treatment protocol, or not implementing universal precautions for the protection of the client.
For the massage therapist and bodyworker in private practice, having knowledge of medical errors and their prevention is vitally important for protecting the public from the potentially dangerous aspects of our work. To reduce the incidence of medical errors of execution and medical errors of planning, a massage therapist must have a working knowledge of anatomy and physiology, and an understanding of the impact of their massage technique on the soft tissue of the body. A massage therapist or body worker must also have a clear understanding of correct sanitary practices, hygiene practices, and universal precautions to protect the client as well as themselves from the risk of cross infection from a blood borne pathogen or virus. The massage therapist and bodyworker must have a clear understanding of massage therapy and bodywork contraindications and endangerment sites of the body. And finally, the massage therapist must be able to apply all of this knowledge within the scope of practice massage therapy and bodywork, as defined by the state, province or jurisdiction where they are working.
Answers to Practice Questions
Chapters 1 & 2: 1.d 2.d 3.a
Chapter 3: 1.d 2.b 3.c
Chapter 4: 1.c 2.b 3.b
Chapter 5: 1.b 2.c 3.b
Chapter 6: 1.b 2.a 3.d
Chapter 7: 1.c 2.b 3.a
Chapter 8: 1.b 2.d 3.b
Chapter 9: 1.b 2.b 3.a
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