Why should Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) study medical errors? Florida SLPs are required to complete 2 hours of continuing education (CE) on the prevention of medical errors every 2 year for license renewal.

We are educated, we are trained, we are credentialed, and we are experienced. Our focus has been on learning and doing what is right in clinical practice and avoiding what we know to be harmful to our patients. So why do we need a continuing education course on the prevention of medical errors? The answer is really quite simple. We know that in the realm of health care practice errors do happen, and they happen every day. They happen in spite of the fact that we are educated, trained, credentialed, and experienced. When they do happen, they can cause serious – even irreparable – harm to those we treat. We are all human and we all make mistakes.

But I don’t work in a hospital.

You may be reading this and thinking that your practice setting is not hospital-based, and medical errors are not likely to occur with your patients. After all, what could happen in private practice, a school setting, daycare, or an audiologist’s office? While the risk of medical errors is highest in an acute setting such as a hospital or skilled nursing facility, they can occur in almost any setting. The risk is on a continuum based on the setting. An SLP performing a swallowing evaluation in a hospital intensive care unit, for example, is on the high end of the continuum; an audiologist creating an ear mold impression is at medium risk, while an SLP working on accent reduction in a corporate setting would be the lowest risk.

There are, of course, many ways to harm patients, most of which arise from inadequate attention to the various educational, clinical, ethical, and legal resources we have available to us.

Why Study Medical Errors?

The perennial bad news about medical errors is that they continue to occur at relatively high levels, but there is good news – a high proportion of errors are preventable. Retrospective studies have shown that 3–17% of patients in acute care hospitals experience one or more adverse events caused by hospital care, resulting at least in prolonged hospital stay. In these studies, carried out in various countries, nearly 50% of those events were considered avoidable (Halfon et al., 2017). Medical errors are “reported as the third leading cause of death in the US. One study reported that approximately 400,000 hospitalized patients experience some preventable harm each year (James, 2013), while another estimated that >200,000 patient deaths annually were due to preventable medical errors” (Rodziewicz et al., 2024, para. 1).

Most SLPs and audiologists do not perform invasive tests, surgery, or dispense medication. It is easy to think that little or no harm would ever come to a patient, nor would a patient file a claim of harm. However, there is a risk in any interaction with patients, even if low risk. This means that errors maybe infrequent, but not nonexistent.

Course excerpt from Preventing Medical Errors in Speech-Language Pathology

Preventing Medical Errors in Speech-Language Pathology is a 2-hour online continuing education (CE) course that examines how medical errors can be prevented in the practice of speech-language pathology.

In this course we will attempt to illustrate the kinds of errors that can occur in the various practice settings of speech-language pathology and audiology and to offer strategies for avoiding them. Through a combination of heightened awareness, increased understanding of potential problem areas, and thoughtful integration of proposed strategies, clinicians can increase their effectiveness and reduce the potential for making medical errors.

The intent of this course is to include all of the elements required for an approved medical errors course for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and audiologists, including topics and case examples that will resonate with both novice and seasoned clinicians. It is a required course for Florida licensees and satisfies their biennial requirement. It is intended to be of clinical interest to all SLPs and audiologists who wish to increase their awareness of the ways in which patients can be harmed and the many strategies for anticipating and avoiding such undesirable outcomes. Click here to learn more.

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Professional Development Resources is a nonprofit educational corporation 501(c)(3) organized in 1992. We are approved approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for all programs and content. Professional Development Resources is also approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the Continuing Education Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA Provider #AAUM); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Prior Approval Program); the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists (#PSY-0145), State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135) and marriage and family therapists (#MFT-0100), and the State Board for Social Workers as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers (#SW-0664); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678); and is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635 – all courses are reported within two business days of completion).

PDR offers over 150 accredited online CE courses for healthcare professionals. 

Target Audience: Psychologists, School Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers, Marriage & Family Therapists (MFTs), Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs), Occupational Therapists (OTs), Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs), and Teachers

Enjoy 20% off all online continuing education (CE/CEU) courses @pdresources.org! Click here for details.

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