Dysphagia: Swallowing Difficulties and Medicines (FutureLearn)

Dysphagia: Swallowing Difficulties and Medicines (FutureLearn)

This course will enhance the knowledge of any person involved in the administration of medicines to patients with dysphagia. The course offers an opportunity to network with other learners and with the creators of the course through discussions, graphs and social networking features and to share knowledge with other learners and professionals.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

By completing this online course participants will be able to describe:

  • the swallowing process and different causes of swallowing problems
  • the different types of medicines formulations and how these should be administered to patients
  • how tablets and capsules are designed to ensure that drugs are appropriately distributed in the body
  • special considerations which need to be taken into account when giving medicines to older people and children
  • the special considerations which are required to administer medicines via enteral tubes
  • the law relating to the selection and administration of medicines
  • how best to administer medicines to patients with dysphagia

What topics will you cover?

  • Definition and causes of dysphagia
  • How to improve medicines administration for patients with dysphagia
  • Supporting patients with dysphagia to take their medicines
  • Different medicine formulations and the important considerations for patients with dysphagia
  • Legal and ethical considerations when administering medicines to patients with dysphagia
  • Standardising the approach to reviewing medicines in patients with dysphagia

Learning on this course
You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Describe the swallowing process and different causes of swallowing problems.
  • Describe the different types of medicines formulations and how these should be administered to patients.
  • Describe how tablets and capsules are designed to ensure that drugs are appropriately distributed in the body.
  • Describe special considerations which need to be taken into account when giving medicines to older people and children.
  • Describe the special considerations which are required to administer medicines via enteral tubes.
  • Describe the law relating to the selection and administration of medicines.
  • Describe how best to administer medicines to patients with dysphagia.

Who is the course for?
There are no requirements for this course, other than an interest in swallowing difficulties and medicines. The course will be of particular interest to carers, nurses and those in the field of medicine

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Why Do We Age? The Molecular Mechanisms of Ageing (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Groningen,University Medical Center Groningen - UMCG

Why Do We Age? The Molecular Mechanisms of Ageing (FutureLearn)

Why do we age? Is there a limit to human lifespan? Can we prolong our lives? Find out with this free online course. Discover the science behind the ageing process. The “why” and “how” of ageing has puzzled mankind ever since it questioned its place in the universe.

Self Paced
5-12 Weeks
Infant Nutrition: from Breastfeeding to Baby's First Solids (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Deakin University

Infant Nutrition: from Breastfeeding to Baby's First Solids (FutureLearn)

Learn what good infant nutrition looks like, how and what to feed a baby, and how to start weaning. Explore the principles of good nutrition in the first 12 months of a baby’s life. In this insightful course led by nutritional experts from Deakin University, you’ll trace the milestones in a baby’s first year of life to learn about the principles of good infant nutrition and how you can apply them. You’ll explore the nutritional requirements of young children, as well as why healthy food for babies is so essential.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Using Infection Control to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of East Anglia

Using Infection Control to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance (FutureLearn)

Find out how effective infection control in health and social care can tackle the global risk of antimicrobial resistance. Get practical guidance on infection control in health and social care settings. This online course will explore the growing problem of antimicrobial-resistant infections in health and social care settings. You’ll find out how infectious diseases are acquired and spread, and how this contributes to the global risk of antimicrobial resistance.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Challenges in Antibiotic Resistance: Point Prevalence Surveys (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy - BSAC

Challenges in Antibiotic Resistance: Point Prevalence Surveys (FutureLearn)

Learn how to use Point Prevalence Surveys (PPS) to measure antibiotic consumption and fight antimicrobial resistance. Point Prevalence Surveys (PPS) are an important tool for healthcare professionals to use to assess and improve antibiotic prescribing locally, nationally and globally. This online course - led by experts from the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) - looks at their use. You’ll discover the importance of measuring antibiotic consumption and how PPS can help.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Introduction to Critical Care Medicine (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Glasgow

Introduction to Critical Care Medicine (FutureLearn)

Learn how to handle complex issues faced in Critical Care Units when other options on the ward have been exhausted. Learn how to manage common presentations seen in Critical Care Units. Critical care is an emerging specialty in hospitals and, with an increasing population living with multiple co-morbidites, the burden on Critical Care Units is rising. In this course, find out about the common presentations seen in a Critical Care Unit and how to manage them effectively.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Exercise Prescription for the Prevention and Treatment of Disease (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Trinity College Dublin

Exercise Prescription for the Prevention and Treatment of Disease (FutureLearn)

Learn how physical exercise can help patients including those with cardiovascular disease, mental health problems and cancer. In the last few decades physical exercise has become well established as a tool to prevent and treat disease. Perceptions within the healthcare sector of exercise and its prescription as a treatment have changed dramatically in recent years.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Introduction to Emergency Contraception (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of East Anglia

Introduction to Emergency Contraception (FutureLearn)

Understand emergency contraception and the choices available with this course for people working in healthcare and related fields. Emergency contraception can be confusing, with different types available and public understanding sometimes limited. On this course you will master the basics of emergency contraception: learning about the different types of post-coital contraception, exploring clinical guideliness; and working out which type of contraception is appropriate in different situations.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
OPAT: Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy - BSAC

OPAT: Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (FutureLearn)

Learn how patients with a serious infection can be managed in outpatient settings with the help of an OPAT service. Discover the function, role and limitations of an OPAT service. OPAT is a clinical service which enables patients with serious infection to be managed in an outpatient setting. The service aims to facilitate admission avoidance or early hospital discharge. On this course, you will be introduced to the concept of OPAT. You’ll start by looking at the roles and responsibilities within the multi-disciplinary OPAT team.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
TARGET Antibiotics – Prescribing in Primary Care (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy - BSAC,TARGET

TARGET Antibiotics – Prescribing in Primary Care (FutureLearn)

Helping primary care professionals to target the use of antibiotics to reduce antimicrobial resistance. Discover ideas about how to optimise prescribing in Primary Care. Antimicrobial resistance is a growing problem and everyone can play a part in tackling this issue. This course will look at many aspects of antibiotic prescribing in Primary Care from prescribing for urinary tract infections through to managing patient expectations.

Self Paced
5-12 Weeks
Causes of Human Disease: Understanding Causes of Disease (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Leeds

Causes of Human Disease: Understanding Causes of Disease (FutureLearn)

Learn the epidemiological methods used to understand the causes of diseases and how social factors influence their development. What causes human disease? Why do some people get a disease but others don’t? Through this course, you’ll learn how epidemiologists are helping to find answers to these complex questions and how the health of a population is measured and analysed.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Introduction to Health Technology Assessment (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Glasgow

Introduction to Health Technology Assessment (FutureLearn)

Learn about health technology assessment (HTA) and quality of life (QoL), and how they’re used to decide which treatments to fund. Get an introduction to health technology assessment (HTA). This online course provides a short, interactive introduction to health technology assessment (HTA), based on the University of Glasgow’s successful online distance-learning programme, the MSc in HTA.

Self Paced
3 Weeks