Prevention of Medical Errors for Nurses

This essential CE course is designed for licensed nursing professionals and fulfills the Florida Board of Nursing’s mandatory requirement on the prevention of medical errors. The course provides an in-depth analysis of the root causes of medical errors and the critical strategies nurses can implement to reduce their occurrence across various healthcare settings. It is appropriate for nurses working in hospitals, ambulatory care, long-term care, and home health environments.

Participants will explore current evidence-based practices aimed at improving patient safety and minimizing clinical risk. Key topics include medication safety, communication failures, human factors engineering, and system-based approaches to error prevention. The course emphasizes the nurse’s role in promoting a culture of safety, adhering to established protocols, and identifying near misses before they lead to harm.

Learning Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Identify common types of medical errors and their underlying causes.
• Describe the principles of patient safety and error prevention in clinical settings.
• Apply strategies for safe medication administration, including the “five rights.”
• Recognize how communication breakdowns contribute to preventable errors.
• Understand the importance of reporting systems, root cause analysis (RCA), and failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA).
• Discuss legal and ethical considerations related to disclosure and accountability.
• Demonstrate a proactive approach to identifying, reporting, and correcting system vulnerabilities.

Completion Requirements:

To receive full CE credit for this course, participants must:

• Be enrolled in the course.
• Review all course materials
• Pass the post-test with a minimum score of 70%.
• Complete and submit the course evaluation survey.

Some courses may include additional requirements, such as participation in discussion boards or completion of practice exercises.

Important Disclosures:

• Conflict of Interest: The course planners, authors, and presenters have no financial or commercial conflicts of interest related to this educational activity.
• Commercial Support: This course has not received any sponsorship or financial support from commercial entities.
• Non-Endorsement: Approval of this course as a continuing education activity does not imply endorsement of any products, services, or companies mentioned within the content.
• Off-Label Product Use: No information related to off-label use of FDA-approved products is included in this course.