3 ways dental teams can improve their medical emergency response.
These three tips can vastly improve our response to and even the outcome of a medical emergency the dental practice. By practicing and discussing our care response regularly we can ensure all dental staff know their role when it comes to responding to a medical emergency.
Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse….
We all update our medical emergency training annually normally when we have our in house basic life support training in our dental practice but do we discuss how this would apply specifically to our own dental practice environment, layout and circumstances if a medical emergency in the dental practice should arise.
For example, when summoning help, does your practice have a practice alert system? Would a simple shout for help be hear by other team members? Who d you expect to respond and how when you shout for help? Do they know what is required of them?
By using practice meetings as an opportunity for rehearse of these situations we significantly increase our efficiency and speed of care by eliminating confusion and hesitation.
Summoning help – does it work?
Shouting help or a code word or activating panic buttons can summon help immediately but only if all team members know exactly what the code word means or if a shout for help can be heard over practice background noise. Discuss and ensure all staff are aware of the system in place. This should include how help is summoned, who is expected to respond to a request for help and what they should do/bring with them. It is also advisable to test this system regularly to ensure it works well.
How well do you know your medical emergency kit?
We know that our medical emergency drugs and equipment should be checked at least weekly to ensure they are fit to be used. We must ensure that they are immediately available and easily accessible (not locked away) to all staff can access them when required.
Having a clear labelling system for each type of medical emergencies can be helpful for example a bag clearly labelled with asthma signs and symptoms of asthma attacks, action required when suspected asthmas attacks arise and the dosages of asthma drugs.
Why not type the make and model of your defibrillator into YouTube to watch a video demonstration of how you defibrillator should be used in a medical emergency scenario.
It is also advisable to check with your indemnifier if there are any legal limitations in the care you can provide in a medical emergency eg which drugs you can administer. This is especially helpful for dental nurses.
For many more tips on how to apply your basic life support and medical emergency training to your dental practice, follow us in social media or why not get in touch. We love discussing with dental practice how they can make their response to a medical emergencies in the dental practice more efficient and effective.
professional resuscitation training for dental teams
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