The protocols that were initially set forth by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and minimal training that has been performed at hospitals have clearly been inadequate for correctly dealing with the disease. The CDC has recently issued more robust guidelines for hospitals and health care workers however that should help hospitals better prepare for handling Ebola patients.

The new instructions now include the recommendation to wear full-body covering (including coveralls and full hoods) for any workers dealing with Ebola patients. They also advise to organize practical sessions on how to correctly put on and take off protective clothing.

The new guidelines are surely a step in the right direction, though many health experts claim they are still not sufficient to protect healthcare workers when dealing with an Ebola patient.

How to Improve Ebola Training in the US

Though the new CDC guidelines suggest full protective clothing and training on how to don and doff these protective suits, many hospitals have not yet followed these recommendations.

It is for this reason that 18,000 nurses went on strike in northern California recently. Their employer (Kaiser Permanente) they claim is refusing to provide adequate protective equipment and implement the necessary safety protocols for dealing with potentially infected patients.

In order to better treat Ebola patients and prevent an infection from spreading, it is crucial that hospitals around the country adopt adequate safety protocols and provide hazmat suits and other protective equipment, such as powered air-filtration masks for their workers. Besides providing the right gear and putting in place safety protocols, safety training should be a priority at all hospitals.

A survey performed by National Nurses United, showed that more than 80 percent of nurses that were surveyed did not yet receive proper Ebola training. Thirty-six percent claimed that their employer does not have adequate supplies to treat an Ebola patient and 76 percent report that proper policies on how to deal with Ebola patients have not been put into effect.

It is clear that there is still a way to go for healthcare organizations around the US to be adequately prepared for dealing with Ebola patients. Sufficient supplies, training and policies are of crucial importance to ensure healthcare workers’ safety and guarantee the best possible treatment for Ebola patients. A standardized procedure to deal with these patients needs to be adopted at hospitals around the country. This however requires time and money, resources that are not always easily available.

About Webanywhere:

The Webanywhere Workplace Learning division has delivered fast, easy to use online training solutions for healthcare providers and other types of organizations across the US, Canada, UK and worldwide.

Our e-learning platforms have supported over 3 million learners. Contact us to learn more.

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It is here where another technological advancement comes into the picture – eLearning. New medical technology, in combination with targeted elearning efforts, could help bring about a significant advancement in healthcare and medical practices.

The State of eLearning

The use of eLearning in the workplace has become more and more common practice during the last decade. Many prestigious universities from around the world now offer a number of their courses, and even full degrees, online. They are often free to take, however payment is sometimes required to receive an official certificate.

In the corporate world, more and more training is conducted online to avoid costly travel and other training related expenses, and increase the number of people that can follow the training. One survey indicates that 72% of companies today use elearning to keep up with new advances in the industry.

The commercial side of the healthcare sector is booming, and this shows in its increased adoption of new technology. Continual education is crucial for healthcare professionals and using these technological developments in the form of elearning can help keep medical professionals up to date with new developments in their field much better and faster than traditional learning can.

The medical sector is coming to realize this and is rapidly investing in online learning technologies, with elearning for healthcare workers expected to increase by 45.1% during the next year.

Advantages of eLearning

Training will always be important in the healthcare sector, but with ever faster developments in research and technology, the demand for faster learning opportunities has never been greater.

There are numerous advantages to the adoption of elearning in the medical industry. Research on elearning shows that in many aspects, it is superior to more conventional forms of training. Here are a few statistics that clearly show the potential benefit for organizations taht implement elearning in the healthcare sector:

• Companies can save around 68% in training costs.
• Information retention by learners is proven to improve by 25% to 60%.
• Employee productivity can be expected to increase up to 50%.

It is clear from these figures that while introducing or increasing adoption of elearning within your healthcare company may require a significant investment of resources, the long term benefits will, in most cases, far exceed the investment.

Further Help & Advice

Webanywhere have helped numerous healthcare organizations to save money and transform training and development. These include the Fortune 500 companies in the US, and the NHS in the UK. Contact the Workplace Learning team at Webanywhere to learn more about how we could help your organization.

Related Case Studies

University College London Hospitals – NHS Foundation Trust
Pharmacy Training Portal – Totara LMS Case Study

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HIPAA compliance elearning courses on the other hand are much more flexible for your staff, enabling any time, anywhere learning, as well as slashing costs by an average of nearly 70% when compared to face to face training. If your organization is still using traditional methods for HIPAA compliance training, you should seriously consider switching to elearning or at least offering it as an alternative.

Let’s have a look at exactly how elearning can support HIPAA compliance training.

Reduced Administration

Using an online HIPAA training provider allows you to focus more on your own core business and worry less about planning HIPAA training sessions for all your employees.

Most HIPAA compliance elearning providers offer online training programs that can be accessed by your employees at any time and from anywhere using a computer or tablet with internet connection. Many training providers also offer a single username and password that can be shared by all employees so you don’t need to waste time on setting up usernames and passwords for everyone.

Once an employee has gone through the training, they can take the final exam and will receive a certificate that can be saved and/or printed. A copy of the certificate will usually also be emailed to the training program administrator. The administrator can then safely store and back up these certifications for compliance record keeping.

Reduced Costs

Classroom sessions generally involve costs for transportation, instructors, teaching materials etc. In most cases they also take up more time than elearning training courses and thus cause more productive time to be wasted.

Better and Easier Reporting

Most HIPAA Compliance elearning providers offer reports that show training logs. These help the organization keep track of how many employees have already successfully completed the training course.

More Up to Date

It is much easier and faster to update elearning courses, which is why most online HIPAA training programs are more up to date with current legislation than courses delivered using more traditional methods.

Better Retention

Up to date HIPAA certification is important for regulatory compliance, but you also want your employees to actually retain the information they learn during the compliance training and apply it in the workplace.

It’s been shown that when elearning courses are developed with interactive and engaging content, they can help improve information retention among students. Therefore, it’s important to look for a HIPAA elearning provider that offers interactive capabilities, as well as rich, interesting course content.

HIPAA compliance training is important, but you don’t want the sessions to distract too much from your organization’s core focus. eLearning provides a great alternative to traditional classroom sessions and involves a lower time commitment for both employees and your learning and development department. By delivering your HIPAA compliance training through elearning, you can help to keep costs down and improve learning retention for your company.

Can We Help You?

Webanywhere have delivered healthcare elearning and regulatory compliance solutions to clients in the US and worldwide. Please contact us for an informal discussion of your training needs.

Related Pages:

Using an LMS to deliver regulatory compliance training for your staff.

Case study on a healthcare learning platform we delivered for University College London Hospitals.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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