Curso disponível
All healthcare workers who use medical oxygen systems should understand the whole oxygen ecosystem and should be able to outline safety considerations of oxygen systems implemented in their facilities so that quality medical oxygen safely reaches all patients in need. This course is an introduction to medical oxygen systems.
Photo credits: WHO / Laura Velez
Medical oxygen is a life-saving essential medicine with no substitute. It is used for the management of hypoxaemia across both communicable and noncommunicable diseases such as pneumonia, tuberculosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and the treatment of some acute HIV-, tuberculosis-, cancer-, cardiovascular-, and malaria-related conditions. Medical oxygen is essential for surgery and for stabilizing patients in critical care and trauma wards. Of notable importance, access to medical oxygen is critical for pregnant women during and after delivery, for newborns in respiratory distress, and for other vulnerable groups including, but not limited to, neonates, children, and ageing populations. Oxygen needs are ever-present and span the healthcare continuum.
In many developing countries, not all health facilities have uninterrupted access to adequate volumes of medical oxygen, a shortcoming that contributes to preventable deaths. These already taxed systems were further stressed during the COVID-19 pandemic when the need for medical oxygen grew beyond existing capacities.
As a result, there has been a global effort to scale up and increase access to medical oxygen by implementing different types of oxygen systems. These systems for production, storage and distribution of medical oxygen constitute various highly interdependent components including medical devices, pressure vessels and specialised ancillary equipment. Increasing accessibility of medical oxygen requires tackling the whole oxygen ecosystem and, when acquiring new technologies, a comprehensive planning process followed by meticulous implementation, which must consider ongoing operations, maintenance and monitoring. This course is an introduction to medical oxygen systems.
Course duration: Approximately 2 hours.
Certificates: A Certificate of Participation is provided to participants who complete 100% of the course material.