Choosing Hyperbaric Chamber Training Courses

By Janine Hughes


It was not long ago that research began to show the health benefits of patients breathing in pure oxygen at a great pressure than normal. Chambers used for this purpose had been a part of diving operations for some time but had no other purpose. The discovery was made that this treatment increased the oxygen supply to the tissues and organs, accelerating healing. As this therapy becomes more popular, so hyperbaric chamber training courses have been developed to train health care professionals to administer it.

These chambers are now found at many medical centers. Some of them are suitable for treating a single patient whereas others can accommodate many patients at the same time. Oxygen is delivered individually to each person in the unit. Members of the team administering the treatment can move in and out of the chamber due to independent compartments that compress and decompress.

Many different conditions benefit from treatment in these chambers. Problem wounds, acute thermal burns, decompression sickness, crush injuries and carbon monoxide poisoning are just some conditions that improve with treatment. The amount of time and length of treatment varies according to the condition being treated and treatment protocols have been established identifying safe time-dose limits.

A variety of courses are available, some associated with a particular hospital and others with organizations connected with promoting this type of therapy. It is vitally important to choose a course that is suitably accredited and formulated by those with the right credentials and experience. Cost, length and course content will obviously also play a part in making a decision as to which course to do.

Online courses provide a valuable means of achieving further education today for those who may be unable to physically attend a course. One of the fears people have when it comes to taking online courses is of not receiving enough help and having to battle alone to complete assignments. In fact, most of the online courses available today are very interactive and offer easy access to instructors.

A basic course should cover all the physical aspects of this field of medicine, patient care, oxygen toxicity, how chambers work, contraindications, side effects and more. Significant focus should be given to the clinical aspects of therapy. A course should always offer a good balance between theory and practice and as many learning aids as possible such slides and videos should be utilized.

These courses may cover different content and be more basic or advanced according to the type of health professional being trained. Physicians will require different courses to nurses and technologists to respiratory therapists. The certification offered also varies according to the type of course completed.

Patients need to feel confident that they are in the hands of a trained and certified team. Trained physicians are able to prescribe oxygen dosage and a course of therapy according to the diagnosis. Such treatment provides a valuable and unique therapy for certain medical conditions and is often used in conjunction with other surgical or medical treatments, particularly when they have been unsuccessful.




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