Education

I am looking for more info on safety and the Hyperbaric Chamber.

Thank you for your question. It is our opinion that most, if not all, of what we do in clinical hyperbaric medicine has some aspect of safety.  The UHMS hyperbaric oxygen safety committee (SC) can provide information but the ultimate responsibility for these types of questions is with the medical director and safety director of your facility.

• There are UHMS approved course(s) for the safety director and those are posted on line.
• Active participation and membership in the UHMS or other hyperbaric association as available in your area, is recommended
• Seek UHMS accreditation for your facility; consider volunteering as an accreditation surveyor.
• There are resources posted on the UHMS web site under the safety tab, the reference list is quite extensive and is regularly updated. Also, there are regular safety-related articles in each quarterly issue of Pressure which are also posted on the UHMS site and free to members
• Seek continuing education for safety related topics: infection control, oxygen safety, safe patient handling, etc., that exist in healthcare already.
• Maintain a library of documents such as NFPA 99 and 101, Tom Workman’s book Hyperbaric Facility Safety: A Practical Guide, Best Publishing is out of date, and the second edition should be available for the 2019 UHMS ASM.
• Continue to work with your co-workers to maintain a culture of safety.
• Consider attending the biennial Safety Pre-course, held the day before the ASM in odd numbered years

Respectfully,

The UHMS Safety Committee

DISCLAIMER

Neither the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) staff nor its members are able to provide medical diagnosis or recommend equipment over the internet.  If you have medical concerns about hyperbaric medicine you need to be evaluated by a doctor licensed to practice medicine in your locale, which can provide you professional recommendations for hyperbaric medicine based upon your condition. The responsibility of approving the use of equipment resides with the physician and safety director of the facility.  Information provided on this forum is for general educational purposes only.  It is not intended to replace the advice of your own health care practitioner and you should not rely upon it as though it were specific medical advice given to you personally.