Prevention of Medical Errors for Florida Nurses

Prevention of Medical Errors for Florida Nurses provides a clinically relevant and regulatory-compliant overview of strategies to reduce the incidence and severity of medical errors in healthcare settings. This course fulfills the Florida Board of Nursing requirement and addresses both systemic and individual contributors to medical errors, with an emphasis on improving patient safety and outcomes.

The curriculum integrates evidence-based practices, case reviews, and root cause analyses to help nurses identify error-prone situations and implement preventive measures. It also covers documentation standards, communication techniques, and safety protocols specific to Florida’s healthcare regulations. The course is tailored for registered nurses, advanced practice nurses, and nursing support personnel working in diverse clinical environments.

Topics covered include:

• Root Cause Analysis and Sentinel Events: Principles of investigating medical errors and identifying system-level breakdowns.
• High-Risk Situations: Common areas of vulnerability such as medication administration, handoff communication, procedural errors, and diagnostic delays.
• Documentation and Communication: Legal and clinical implications of documentation practices, SBAR technique, and informed consent.
• Human Factors and Systemic Contributors: Role of fatigue, staffing, electronic health records, and workplace culture in error causation.
• Medication Safety: Look-alike/sound-alike drugs, dose calculation, reconciliation, and use of barcode systems.
• Error Reporting and Risk Reduction Strategies: Incident reporting systems, Just Culture principles, and ongoing quality improvement initiatives.
• Florida-Specific Requirements: Review of state mandates regarding error prevention education and regulatory compliance.

Completion Requirements:

To receive full CE credit, participants must:

• Register for the course.
• Complete all course modules and assigned readings.
• Pass the post-test with a score of 70% or higher.
• Submit course evaluations for each module.

Course materials may include case scenarios, state-specific policy references, and downloadable clinical tools for use in practice.

Important Disclosures:

• Conflict of Interest: Faculty and planners report no relevant financial relationships.
• Commercial Support: This activity received no external commercial funding or sponsorship.
• Non-Endorsement: Accreditation does not imply endorsement of any commercial products or companies.
• Off-Label Product Use: Any mention of off-label drug use is consistent with current clinical guidelines and evidence-based practice.