In April 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic gained momentum in the U.S., Massage Mastery Online released this free digital textbook (Preventing Disease Transmission in a Massage Practice). More than 17,000 massage professionals, clinic managers, teachers, and students registered for the textbook during 2020. We are grateful to many of them for sharing with us that the text helped them reopen their clinics, spas, schools, and student clinics with “supercharged” safety practices as states lifted restrictions.

COVID aside, schools quickly adopted the textbook because the striking visuals, organized structure, games, and learning features give students a strong foundation in disease prevention. Students benefit from clear discussions, opportunities to reinforce important information, instant feedback on learning games and quizzes, and the ability to work through materials in a systematic way and mark learning tasks complete.  

Educators know that students will need in-depth knowledge, effective policies, and proactive hygiene protocols to ensure client safety and their own safety when they practice in the student clinic and later as professionals. The ability to track student progress through the textbook, view student quiz scores, quiz attempts, and missed items, helps teachers identify struggling students and intervene effectively.

Learning Outcomes: Having completed the materials in this textbook, students will be able to meet these learning outcomes:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the key terms and concepts related to disease types, methods for preventing disease transmission, mechanisms by which infectious diseases are spread, therapist hygiene, sanitation of the facility and equipment, good housekeeping practices, standard precautions, and protocols related to COVID-19 in lesson quizzes and on a final textbook written examination.
• Demonstrate proper therapist hygiene, the correct hand-washing procedure, proper use of gloves, the sanitation of massage equipment, proper cleanliness and management of massage linens, and proper cleanliness and management of lubricants and supplies in a massage practice.
• Outline steps for “supercharged” protocols related to COVID-19 practice while COVID-19 is still present in our communities. These protocols include the proper preparation of a massage facility, the creation of specific COVID-related policies, the proper use of PPE, upgrading sanitation between clients, screening clients effectively, monitoring oneself for symptoms, and increased client communication.

TEXTBOOK INTRODUCTION

LESSON 1: AN OVERVIEW OF DISEASE

• Terminology Preview
• Defining Disease
• Noninfectious Diseases
• Infectious Diseases
• Apply It!
• Quiz

LESSON 2: TYPES OF INFECTIOUS AGENTS

• Terminology Preview
• Bacteria
• Viruses
• Fungi
• Parasites
• Apply It!
• Quiz

LESSON 3: DISEASE TRANSMISSION

• Terminology Preview
• Chain of Infection
• Modes of Transmission
• Apply It!
• Quiz

LESSON 4: STANDARD PRECAUTIONS

• Terminology Preview
• Hand Hygiene
• Use of Personal Protective Equipment
• Respiratory Hygiene and Cough Etiquette
• Proper Clean Up of Blood and Body Fluid
• Apply It!
• Quiz

LESSON 5: MAINTAINING A CLEAN MASSAGE WORKPLACE

• Terminology Preview
• Cleaning Supplies
• Cleaning Your Session Room
• Handling Linens Properly
• Handling Products Properly
• Cleaning Common Areas at Your Workplace
• Apply It!
• Quiz

LESSON 6: PROFESSIONAL HYGIENE

• Terminology Preview
• Physical Hygiene
• Professional Dress
• Challenging Therapist Situations
• Apply It!
• Quiz

LESSON 7: INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND YOUR MASSAGE PRACTICE

• Terminology Preview
• The Common Cold
• Fungal Infections
• Hepatitis Infections
• HIV/AIDS
• Lice and Mites
• Apply It!
• Quiz

LESSON 8: HUMAN CORONAVIRUSES

• Terminology Preview
• An Overview of Human Coronaviruses
• COVID-19 – What We Know
• Considerations for Reopening
• Supercharge Your Facility
• Supercharge Your Policies & Procedures
• Supercharge Your Cleaning
• Supercharge Your Safety
• Video Safety Training & Resources
• Apply It!
• Quiz

FINAL TEXTBOOK EXAMINATION 

• Lesson & Topic Structure: The thoughtful instructional design of this textbook organizes contents into carefully sequenced learning chunks. Students can finish topics in short study sessions (average 20 minutes). The sensation of making regular progress improves student motivation.
• Text Translation: So long as they use Chrome as their browser, students with English as a second language can instantly translate the text into their native language so that they never miss a concept.
• Visually Appealing: Concepts come alive with striking imagery and appealing graphic design. Printed textbooks are limited by page number and keep visuals to a minimum. In the digital world, more is more when it comes to visual aids. This textbook boasts 187 images.
• Video Content: Two hours of video in this textbook lead students through “supercharged” protocols related to safe practice and COVID-19.
• Standard Textbook Features: Standard textbook features like introductions, learning objectives, summaries, references, and resources get a digital upgrade with subtle animations and click-to-view options that invite learners to engage with content they might otherwise skip over.
• Research Informed: This textbook is written by massage professionals and carefully researched for accuracy and relevance. We make regular updates to content and can address content issues immediately (something printed textbooks can’t do).
• Easy Navigation: Clever web navigation puts the entire textbook a click away and provides an ongoing outline to help students mentally frame the content they are learning.
• Check It Off Progress: Oh, the motivating power of a checkmark! Students get a dose of satisfaction when they mark topics and lessons complete and see the progress bar advance.
• Learning Games: Learning games strengthen student concept comprehension, memory recall, and critical-thinking skills. Games give instance feedback so students never reinforce incorrect information. Games can be reset for repeated content drill and practice. This textbook includes 18 learning games in the “Apply It!” topic of each lesson.  
• Downloadable Resources: Download a cleaning product supply list and recommendations, a sample welcome back to massage letter, policy and procedure updates related to COVID, workplace posters for hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, and cough etiquette.
• Take Notes App: Students can take notes, organize, save, and print notes from within their textbooks. Students can also use the app to take notes from instructor lectures so that all their class notes for a topic are in one place.
• Quizzes: Each lesson concludes with a 10-question, multiple-choice quiz from a test bank of 20 questions. Quizzes give instant feedback so that learners never reinforce incorrect information. When students reset quizzes, the program exchanges some questions, and shuffles response options for drill and practice study.
• Story & Scenario: The regular use of stories and client-therapist scenarios place important concepts in a real-world context and improve critical thinking skills.
• Interactive Content: The textbooks at Massage Mastery Online take advantage of design-forward web animations that increase student attention, learning, and engagement.
• Final Exam: A final examination of 30 multiple-choice questions from a bank of 60 questions builds student testing stamina and gives them the opportunity to demonstrate content mastery. 
• On-The-Go Learning: Learning must fit into the margins of adult lives to be practical. This content is designed for on-the-go learning using a computer, tablet, or phone.
• Environmentally Friendly: No trees were harmed in the making of this textbook! Improve student learning outcomes and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time.