Medical emergencies. The role of the DCP

Balmer, MC and Longman, LP (2008) Medical emergencies. The role of the DCP. Vital, 5 (2). pp. 49-52.

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Abstract

Introduction The General Dental Council (GDC) is the sole competent authority which regulates dental professionals in the United Kingdom, and they have issued clear guidance on the roles and responsibilities of Dental Care Professionals in the event of a medical emergency:- 1.Student DCPs “The GDC considers that at an early stage in their programme students must be given instruction in first aid, including the principles of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and its practice under realistic conditions. It is necessary for this practice to be repeated on an annual basis throughout the programme and for students to understand the necessity for subsequent annual repetition. Students should learn how to recognise and take appropriate action in situations such as: anaphylactic reaction, hypoglycaemia, upper airway obstruction, cardiac arrest, fits, vasovagal attacks, inhalation or ingestion of foreign bodies, and haemorrhage” (1) 2. Qualified DCPs “All members of staff who might be involved in dealing with a medical emergency are trained and prepared to deal with such an emergency at any time, and practice together regularly in a simulated emergency so they know exactly what to do”(2). There is also a mandatory requirement for all DCPs to include at least 10 hours of medical emergency training as one of the core topics for each CPD cycle. The Resuscitation Council of the U.K. issued a definitive document entitled “Medical Emergencies and Resuscitation-Standards for Clinical Practice and Training for Dental Practitioners and Dental Care Professionals in General Dental Practice.” in 2006, and this was prefaced by the GDC. This document clearly defines and details the knowledge and skills expected of all members of the dental team, and is a useful source of reference that will be no doubt update as appropriate.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Continuing Professional Development, CPD, Dental Care Professionals, DCPs, Medical Emergencies
Subjects:	?? RK ??
Divisions:	Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Life Courses and Medical Sciences > School of Dentistry
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	21 Oct 2009 09:13
Last Modified:	16 Dec 2022 04:33
DOI:	10.1038/vital798
Related URLs:	Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/738