UHMS Northeast Chapter Town Hall on Safety Enduring Material

Course overview

Learner Objectives The Northeast Chapter of the UHMS continuing education mission is to promote educational activities for physicians and allied health professionals in the local and regional areas. These activities are based on a needs assessment of the members and on the recommendations of the UHMS Panel of Expert Opinion. These activities will improve the scientific and practical knowledge in the areas of hyperbaric oxygen treatment and diving medicine. Objectives Is a CGM sensor a go or no-go item, Chae Bliss, BSN RN, NREMT, CHT In this lecture, I will address a critical gap in professional practice concerning the safe use of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) for patients undergoing hyperbaric therapy. Many healthcare providers and safety directors may not fully understand the functionality, internal components, and performance of various CGMs in hyperbaric conditions. This lack of knowledge can impact informed decision making regarding whether patients should be allowed to wear their CGMs during treatment. By examining the top CGMs currently in use and their physical integrity, I aim to provide healthcare professionals with insights that will assist in making safe and effective recommendations. Understanding the advantages and limitations of each device in these conditions is essential for ensuring patient safety and optimizing diabetes management during hyperbaric therapy. Identify how various CGMs are constructed and the types of batteries they use. Assess the implications of these components for safety during hyperbaric therapy. Make informed decisions on the use of CGMs for patients in hyperbaric settings. Inside Hyperbaric Attendant: Fitness for Duty and Risks, Tony Alleman, MD, MPH. This lecture will cover the important points of the UHMS guideline on fitness for duty as an inside attendant. Until recently, there were no guidelines for fitness for duty for hyperbaric inside attendants. The UHMS published these guidelines several years ago and they are currently being revised. The participant should learn about the guidelines published by the UHMS for inside attendants. The participant should realize the importance of fitness for duty for working as an inside attendant. Safety MEDFAQs Tales and Tips, Andrew Melnyczenko, CHT - I will describe the process of submitting frequently asked questions to the UHMS MEDFAQ site and examine the submission process of hyperbaric-related MEDFAQs. Finally, I will review two-to-three recent MEDFAQs submitted by the UHMS Hyperbaric Oxygen Safety Committee. Become familiar with the UHMS MEDFAQ site and MEDFAQ entry Learn how to place a MEDFAQ question properly to ensure a timely reply Review two-to-three recent Safety/Technical MEDFAQs "Go or No-Go" in the Hyperbaric World (Safety concerns for daily operations) R.B. "Gus" Gustavson, MPH, RN, CHRNC, CHT-Admin, CRT, UHMSDSA - Adverse and Sentinel events are very rare in the hyperbaric medicine field. This is primarily due to learning from events that resulted in injury and or death of patients while undergoing hyperbaric oxygen treatments. These incidents are extremely rare based on current practices. However, the fact that they are rare may lead practitioners to become complacent and lax in enforcing safety requirements. This lecture will be a reminder of the importance of developing and maintaining a list of items that may or may not go into the hyperbaric oxygen environment. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and its Role in Hyperbaric Medicine, R.B. "Gus" Gustavson, MPH, RN, CHRNC, CHT-Admin, CRT, UHMSDS - Participant will understand the history and the role of NFPA in hyperbaric medicine. Introduction/CE Requirements CGM Inside tenders in Multiplace environment position statement Safety MEDFAQs Tales and Tips Go no go (safety concerns for daily operations) NFPA updates Safety drill Accreditation fail points Equipment IV port update Evaluation Methods Recorded didactic lectures Recorded question, answer