Perioperative Medicine in Action
Explore perioperative medicine and how you can improve care for the high risk surgical patient. Join this RCoA endorsed course.
43,068 enrolled on this course
Duration
4 weeksWeekly study
3 hours100% online
How it works
Perioperative Medicine in Action
Make a difference: Improve patient outcomes with perioperative medicine
Too many patients die or suffer prolonged complications following surgery.
Perioperative medicine is an emerging, multi-disciplinary approach which seeks to optimise the care of high-risk surgical patients. It encompasses disciplines such as anaesthetics, surgery, nursing, elderly care, physiotherapy and healthcare management.
In this RCoA-endorsed course, developed by anaesthetists at University College London (UCL) Hospitals, you’ll learn the key concepts you need to improve patient safety and reduce healthcare costs.
What topics will you cover?
Week 1: The surgical epidemic
- Defining the high-risk surgical patient and the need to change the way we care for them
- An introduction to perioperative medicine and the Royal College of Anaesthetists vision for improved perioperative care
- New perioperative care pathways
Week 2: Risk assessment and shared decision-making?
- The role of risk assessment and risk assessment tools including cardiopulmonary exercise testing and risk scoring systems
- Shared decision-making: what it is, why it is so important and how to achieve it.
Week 3: Protocols in surgical care
- The principles of enhanced recovery
- How healthcare professionals and patients can engage with protocols
- Protocols in the care of the emergency surgical patient
Week 4: An age old problem
- The unique perioperative problems of the elderly
- How to improve perioperative care for the elderly
- The current economic climate and how perioperative medicine is the value proposition
When would you like to start?
Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.
Available now
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Justify the need for better, more holistic care for the high risk surgical patient, to improve outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.
- Engage with risk assessment tools to characterise and quantify the risk of an individual undergoing a particular procedure.
- Demonstrate the need for protocolised care pathways and evaluate the success of the enhanced recovery programmes in reducing variance in practice.
- Describe the major challenges in delivering perioperative medicine for the elderly.
- Discuss the current economic pressure on healthcare systems and how perioperative medicine can be used to reduce these pressures.
Who is the course for?
This RCoA endorsed course is aimed at all interested healthcare professionals, both medical and allied health professionals. This would include anaesthetists, surgeons, care-of-the-elderly physicians, pre-assessment nurses, surgical ward nurses, operating department staff, physiotherapists and medical managers, emphasising that enhanced care and improved outcomes depend on a multidisciplinary approach.
Healthcare professionals might find the the Certificate of Achievement for this course useful for providing evidence of Continuing Professional Development (CPD), or commitment to their career.
Although some of the statistics and guidelines are UK specific, the key concepts and learning aims are relevant at an international level.
What do people say about this course?
"A good course, thank you. It has consolidated a lot of my learning from the past few years in a manageable way! Very thought-provoking. As the clinical lead for preop where I work, I will take a lot of this learning back with me. Some things we have already started but it is easier to get overwhelmed with it all. This course has allowed me to order my thoughts and consider what my priorities need to be over the next few years."
"I really enjoyed the course. The videos, discussions, articles, interaction with other 'students'...Well thought out course material. Thank you to the Team at UCL and RCOA for a sterling job. Thought-provoking and at times helps you realise that you are not alone in the 'struggles' to improve care in the peri-op period. "
Who will you learn with?
Abigail is a consultant in anaesthesia at University College Hospital, London and an honorary associate professor at UCL. Her main specialist interests are perioperative medicine and medical education
I am a consultant in anaesthesia and perioperative medicine at UCLH. My interests include perioperative medicine, major general surgery, transfer medicine & medical education.
Dan is an anaesthetist in training in London, UK. His clinical interests lie in the perioperative management of the high-risk patient, regional anaesthesia and digital healthcare.
Who developed the course?
UCL (University College London)
UCL was founded in 1826. It was the first English university established after Oxford and Cambridge, and the first to open up university education to those previously excluded from it.
Endorsers and supporters
endorsed by
endorsed by
Ways to learn | Buy this course | Subscribe & save | Limited access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choose the best way to learn for you! | $109/one-off payment | $39.99 For your first month. Automatically renews | Free |
| Fulfill your current learning need | Develop skills to further your career | Sample the course materials | |
| Access to this course | tick | tick | Access expires 2 Jan 2025 |
| Access to 1,000+ courses | cross | tick | cross |
| Learn at your own pace | tick | tick | cross |
| Discuss your learning in comments | tick | tick | tick |
| Certificate when you're eligible | Printed and digital | Digital only | cross |
Cancel for free anytime |
Ways to learn
Choose the best way to learn for you!
Subscribe & save
$39.99
For your first month. Automatically renews
Develop skills to further your career
- Access to this course
- Access to 1,000+ courses
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Digital certificate when you're eligible
Cancel for free anytime
Buy this course
$109/one-off payment
Fulfill your current learning need
- Access to this course
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible
Limited access
Free
Sample the course materials
- Access expires 2 Jan 2025
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades) Sale price available until 29 December 2024 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply. | |||
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)
Sale price available until 29 December 2024 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.
Learning on FutureLearn
Your learning, your rules
- Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
- Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
- Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores
Join a global classroom
- Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
- Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
- Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others
Map your progress
- As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
- Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
- Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate
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