Elsevier’s ’Procedures Consult’ Reference And Competency Tool Is First To Blend Timely Clinical Information With Video, Animation And Illustrations In Single Online Location

Elsevier, the leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today released Procedures Consult, an online multimedia training and reference tool that helps physicians, medical residents and students prepare for, perform and test their knowledge of 39 top medical procedures. Procedures Consult helps physicians visualize and review procedures through a blend of text, video, animation and illustrations. By providing speedy access to customized information on procedures that a physician may not have studied or conducted for a period of time, Procedures Consult helps reduce the potential for medical errors and complications.

“Procedures Consult allows physicians, residents and students to customize their online educational experiences,” says Dr. Jonathan Teich, an attending physician in emergency medicine at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Chief Medical Informatics Officer at Elsevier. “Physicians, and other clinicians who perform procedures can access the full details for an upcoming procedure or settle on quick review summaries for emergencies. Procedures Consult allows them to verify their knowledge and skills before conducting a procedure, which in turn leads to reduced medical errors.”

Physicians who access the Web-based product can view a video of a common procedure such as a central line placement or nasogastric intubation. Each procedure includes video of what physicians see when doing the procedure and high-quality animation of aspects that the physician can’t see but needs to visualize. Physicians can also jump to any section of a video or repeat specific sections and step-by-step text and illustrations accompany each procedure. Related information such as indications, contraindications, anatomy, equipment and complications are also included.

See One, Do One, Teach One now safer
Procedures Consult adds a layer of safety to the medical education adage “See One – Do One – Teach One,” which refers to how physicians typically see a procedure demonstrated, perform the procedure and then teach the procedure to a physician colleague. Procedures Consult allows physicians to see a video of an expert performing a procedure before actually doing it themselves, once or as many times as needed. Physicians typically demonstrate procedures only when patients are available, but Procedures Consult allows physicians to access procedures 24/7 and view them repeatedly, until they fully understand the procedure.

Once students and residents have reviewed the material on Procedures Consult, they can complete an online test to evaluate their knowledge. Physician executives and faculty members can then track the performance of a large population of trainees using online reports.

Based on input from more than 100 educators, residents and medical students, Elsevier focused the launch of Procedures Consult on common high-risk/high volume procedures such as thoracentesis, central venous catherization, lumbar puncture, basic airway management, digital nerve block, arterial blood gas sampling, stapling devices, defibrillation, and arterial cannulation, as well as some procedures like needle thoracostomy which are done infrequently, but are critical to patient safety.

Elsevier plans to roll out additional procedures in emergency medicine, orthopedics and anesthesiology in the near future.

Healthcare Organization Benefits
Healthcare organizations can customize Procedures Consult by editing content to precisely fit their needs. They can also add procedure-specific alerts and links to institutional resources, e.g. informed consent forms, hospital standard procedures, and patient education materials. Organizations can also monitor how many physicians have completed testing and use that information for credentialing purposes.

“Procedures Consult helps physician executives better manage the high costs of medical education and reduce malpractice risk. Physicians can use the tool to improve patient safety and increase practice revenues by learning how to perform medical procedures in the safest and most efficient ways possible,” says Brian Nairn, CEO of Elsevier’s Health Sciences Division. “This new reference and decision support tool is another integrated component of how Elsevier improves outcomes in health and in the business of health.”

Other unique features of Procedures Consult include highlighted patient safety guidelines from national organizations such as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the context of each procedure, and a section devoted to clinical pearls, which offer physicians expert tips on how to perform procedures successfully.

Procedures Consult follows standards developed by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and includes procedures recommended by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM).