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PPS Q&A

PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, July 1, 2010

This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to PPS Alert for Long-Term Care.

Q. Should we develop a competency for each piece of new equipment our facility gets?

A. Not every piece of new equipment triggers the need for a competency. In most cases, a simple in-service suffices. For example, suppose your organization orders new beds. The beds have some additional features that the old beds lacked, and an in-service is conducted to orient staff members to work safely with these new beds. Now suppose that new equipmentarrives for your organization’s newly opened rehabilitation unit. These devices require special skills to ensure safety and will be used often, although not daily. These types of new equipment are more suitable for ongoing competency development. They have significant patient impact, require a high level of skill and safety awareness, and are used frequently. 

This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to PPS Alert for Long-Term Care.

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