Subject: Surgery

Week 1

Infection Control

Aims of infection control

Risk factors

Impact of the environment

Cleaning techniques

Bacterial monitoring within the environment

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the week delegates will be able to:

Understand the aims of infection control within theatre

Identify how the layout of the operating theatre and associated rooms may affect infection control

Achieve effective maintenance and cleaning of the environment and instruments

Identify the ideal theatre design and implement this in practice

Week 2

Maintenance and Care of Instruments

Instrument cleaning

Instrument maintenance

Sterilisation methods and sterility indicators

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the second week, delegates will be able to:

Clean and care for surgical instruments

Understand the different methods of instrument cleaning

Understand the various sterilisation techniques and indicators

Recognise routine protocols for maintenance of the theatre environment and materials

Week 3

Patient Care and Theatre Organisation

Hypothermia and the effect on surgical site infections

Hand hygiene

Draping techniques

Scrubbing techniques

Theatre attire

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the third week, delegates will be able to:

Understand sterility, and how to reduce the incidence of surgical site infections

Prepare patients for surgery using best practice methods

Optimise preparation of the surgical team

Discuss skin preparation techniques

Monitor infection control in the practice

Understand hand hygiene, and its role in reducing the spread of hospital acquired infections

Define techniques to achieve high standards of patient care and organisation within theatre

Appraise the maintenance of high environmental standards within the theatre suite

Week 4

Staff Development and Organisation

Nursing roles

Methods of organisation

Staff training and development

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the fourth week, delegates will be able to:

Understand the importance of setting specific nursing roles

Examine a range of methods to increase efficiency and organisation within the theatre environment.

The course will be fully tutored by Louise Dale, and will consist of 10 hours of CPD given in various formats, including tutorials, tasks, case studies, forum discussions and quizzes.

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