Do you perform pelvic floor assessments, acupuncture, spinal manipulation, tracheal suctioning, administer a substance by inhalation or wound care?
If so, the rules require that you describe what you would do if something went wrong during or after you performed one of these activities on a patient.
This has always been the case, and since 2016 when the Controlled Acts and Other Restricted Activities Standard was updated, there is a requirement to also have this plan available in writing.
So What Does a Written Plan for Adverse Events Look Like?
We leave that up to you. It could be written up as a policy, a chart, table, a booklet — you decide what works best in your situation and workplace.
Regardless of the format, your written plan should answer these questions:
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What could possibly go wrong during or after acupuncture/spinal manipulation/tracheal suctioning/ administering a substance by inhalation/doing pelvic floor assessments and treatments/wound care?
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How is the adverse event recognized?
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What steps need to be taken for each adverse event? And by whom?
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Who needs to be notified?
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What instructions or advice needs to be given to patients to manage the adverse events should it occur after the patient leaves your practice? (You should have already covered what could go wrong when you obtained informed consent from the patient!)
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What follow up is needed? And what is the time frame?