Medical Errors 205

Course overview

Hour One: *Discuss common medical errors made in the process of choosing diagnostic imaging for patients with cervical spine injuries. *Discuss the role of Clinical Prediction Rules and their role in preventing common errors in overutilization of radiographic studies in patients with cervical spine injuries. *Describe the Canadian C-Spine Rule, Canadian Head CT Rule, and NEXUS Low-Risk Criteria, as well as their limitations and exceptions. *Review the literature supporting the use of Clinical Prediction Rules in the prevention of medical errors. Hour Two: *Discuss limitations of plain film radiography in the evaluation of injured patients, and strategies to avoid medical errors due to inappropriate selection of imaging modalities. *Discuss relevant clinical indications for ordering advanced imaging studies in the evaluation of patients with cervical spine injuries. *Review common advanced imaging studies and their role in preventing medical errors of commission or omission. *Discuss the clinical relevance of recognizing loss of cervical motion segment integrity in the evaluation and management of injured patients.