Electrosurgery educational package

Example page from the electrosurgery educational packageIs electrosurgery a problem?
Every year many patients and staff are injured needlessly by electrosurgical equipment. These injuries are often due to user error and poor systems of work, not the equipment function or design

Electrosurgery is a very effective surgical tool and is used in about 80% of all surgical procedures. It is a complex technology not well understood by clinicians and can result in serious injuries – from serious burns to fatal fires in the trachea.

Electrosurgical procedures are one of the most common technology types appearing in FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and ECRI Institute problem report databases and are listed as an important cause of litigation by medical defence organisations.

This educational package has been developed by the MHRA with the help of the Royal College of Surgeons. It is intended to be a guide through electrosurgical history, explaining the background, how and why the basic system works and providing some valuable do’s and don’ts when using electrosurgical equipment.

It is aimed at all operating theatre staff including surgeons, assistants, anaesthetists, scrub staff and operating department practitioners. You will find a series of embedded quizzes throughout the programme which will aid you in remembering the important facts.

The educational package is presented in two forms. In the review version you can have multiple goes at each answer to learn as you go through. With the certificated version you only get one chance at the questions and you have to achieve over 80% success to obtain the certificate of completion.

The module below is available for review:
› E-Learning Electrosurgery Module

Complete this version of the module to obtain a certificate:
› E-Learning Certificated Electrosurgery Module

As this programme is intended for professional educational purposes, it is password protected and you will be prompted for a user name and password.