New Obstetrics, Neonatal Courses Added to ECRI Institute e-Learn Online Continuing Education

Courses offer new risk reduction strategies for this high risk specialty.

Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, September 22, 2010—Obstetrics services are consistently ranked among the highest risk medical specialty areas. To help providers learn practical strategies for reducing risk and improving culture of safety, ECRI Institute announces the addition of seven new obstetrics-related courses to their online continuing education program, e-Learn™.

“Creating a culture of safety, which includes improving communication and teamwork, is essential to reducing obstetrics risk,” stated Kathy Shostek, Senior Risk Management Analyst, ECRI Institute, during a recent audio conference on reducing obstetric liability risk. “This includes empowering team members to intervene anytime patient safety is jeopardized.”

The seven new e-Learn courses comprise a multiple-part, in-depth CME offering on “Obstetrics and Neonatal Safety.” The courses cover:

  • Quality Improvement
  • Assessing Risks
  • Practices to Improve Safety
  • Patient Education
  • Umbilical Cord Blood Banking
  • Care Models and Settings
  • Neonatal Patient Safety

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 91% of Obstetricians have been sued for negligence. Additionally, the Physician Insurance Associations Data Sharing program indicates that the frequency of obstetric claims is declining but the severity and average indemnity of these claims is increasing.

ECRI Institute’s courses include proven learning techniques to help healthcare providers address these key obstetrical risk areas and more. The catalog of risk management and patient safety courses now includes over 100 Continuing Medical Education (CME) courses. Additionally, e-Learn courses are based on ECRI Institute’s 40 years of independent research, which is backed by strict conflict-of-interest policies.

ECRI Institute is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The CME opportunities associated with these courses have been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Elements and Accreditation Policies of ACCME and are designated for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

For more information about ECRI Institute’s e-Learn, visit www.ecri.org/e-learn, contact clientservices@ecri.org, or call (610) 825-6000, ext. 5891. For medical malpractice insurance carriers or discounts on bulk orders, contact Sharon Murphy by phone at (610) 825-6000, ext. 5145; by e-mail at smurphy@ecri.org.

About ECRI
ECRI Institute, a nonprofit organization, dedicates itself to bringing the discipline of applied scientific research to healthcare to discover which medical procedures, devices, drugs, and processes are best to enable improved patient care.  As pioneers in this science for more than 40 years, ECRI Institute marries experience and independence with the objectivity of evidence-based research. ECRI Institute is designated a Collaborating Center of the World Health Organization and an Evidence-based Practice by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI Institute PSO is listed as a federally certified Patient Safety Organization by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For more information, visit https://www.ecri.org.