Preventing Medical Errors CME for Osteopathic Physicians - 2 AOA Category 1-A Credits

Provided by an AOA-accredited Category 1 CME sponsor, this activity is eligible for AOA Category 1-A credit and includes instructor interaction; questions submitted by email will receive a response within 48 hours. Patient safety training often stays generic, while osteopathic practice demands a safety lens that accounts for how DOs diagnose and treat. This activity is designed specifically for osteopathic physicians and connects core medical error prevention principles with Osteopathic Principles and Practice (OPP) to improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce preventable harm. Participants will learn how to use structural assessment and palpatory diagnosis to strengthen clinical reasoning, recognize common “mimickers,” and reduce diagnostic inaccuracies, including patterns seen in frequently misdiagnosed conditions. The course also provides practical frameworks for conducting Root Cause Analysis (RCA), identifying system failures, and implementing solutions that support a culture of safety across teams and settings. In addition, it addresses OMT-specific risk management, including screening and decision-making for higher-risk techniques such as cervical HVLA, as well as documentation and workflow safeguards that reduce treatment-related errors. This activity closes a common training gap by showing how DOs can apply osteopathic principles to mandated patient safety topics while codifying OMT safety protocols that protect patients and strengthen practice standards.

This activity guides physicians, particularly Doctors of Osteopathy (DOs), through the full spectrum of medical error prevention by integrating core safety principles with the unique framework of Osteopathic Principles and Practice (OPP). Participants will learn to move beyond generic safety protocols by mastering the use of structural assessment and palpatory diagnosis to reduce Diagnostic Inaccuracies, especially for common "mimickers" and the five most misdiagnosed conditions. The course also provides critical frameworks for Root-Cause Analysis (RCA), implementing System Failures solutions, and managing OMT-specific safety, equipping clinicians to champion a holistic culture of Patient Safety and Error Reduction and Prevention.

The educational need for this course stems from a critical gap in standard medical error training, which often overlooks the unique diagnostic and therapeutic roles of the osteopathic physician. General Patient Safety courses do not address how OPP can be used to reduce Diagnostic Inaccuracies (e.g., identifying viscerosomatic reflexes for spine or reproductive conditions) nor do they cover the specific risks and Error Reduction and Prevention strategies required in OMT (e.g., cervical HVLA screening, managing OMTrelated Surgical Errors). This activity closes that gap by providing a framework to apply osteopathic principles to mandated topics and by codifying safety protocols for OMT, ultimately reducing errors in both diagnosis and treatment