In April 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic gained momentum in the U.S., Massage Mastery Online released this free digital textbook titled, Preventing Disease Transmission in a Massage Practice. More than 17,000 massage professionals, clinic managers, teachers, and students registered for the textbook during 2020.

This comprehensive textbook covers all aspects of disease prevention. You'll learn about the various types of infectious agents and how they are transmitted. You discover the best methods of preventing disease transmission in chapters on standard precautions, how to maintain a clean environment, and professional hygiene. A special chapter on COVID-19 provides vital information to protect you and your clients as the virus remains a threat in our communities. 

It's all presented in a visually rich, interactive digital format, with photos, videos, quizzes, and learning games. 

We are delighted that so many therapists have used the information in this textbook to reopen their clinics, spas, schools, and student clinics with “supercharged” safety practices as states lifted restrictions.

In response to working through the interactive textbook, many massage therapists shared with us that their knowledge of diseases, sanitation, and hygienic practices was not as comprehensive as it should be to fully protect themselves and their clients from the spread of infectious diseases. As a profession, COVID required us to evaluate our knowledge gaps, drop lazy practices, and pay keen attention to hygienic protocols and methods.

Many therapists asked us if they could receive CE for working through the interactive textbook. As a result of these requests, we’ve provided an 8-hour CE opportunity for the nominal fee of $59.99 (normally $99) while we continue to make the textbook available for free.

To complete this CE course, you will work through the contents in the Preventing Disease Transmission in a Massage Practice textbook and then purchase and take a final exam (see the link below). You’ll find this digital text offers in-depth, comprehensive information and step-by-step guidance on best practices for ensuring the health of both clients and therapists. A special section on COVID-19 provides researched, thoughtful recommendations for welcoming clients back to massage in a responsible manner while the pandemic is still active in our communities.

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!

FINAL TEXTBOOK EXAMINATION 

• Lesson & Topic Structure: The thoughtful instructional design of this textbook organizes contents into carefully sequenced learning chunks. Participants can finish topics in short study sessions (average 20 minutes). This sense of making regular progress improves learning motivation.
• Text Translation: So long as you use Chrome as your browser, participants with English as a second language can instantly translate the text into your native language so that you 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.
• Video Content: Two hours of video in this textbook lead you 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 you to engage with content you might otherwise skip over.
• Research Informed: Each 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 an entire textbook a click away and provides an ongoing outline to help you mentally frame the content you are learning.
• Check It Off Progress: Oh, the motivating power of a checkmark! You’ll get a dose of satisfaction when you mark topics and lessons complete and see the progress bar advance.
• Learning Games: Learning games are fun and strengthen concept comprehension, memory recall, and critical-thinking skills. Games give instance feedback so we never reinforce incorrect information. This textbook includes 18 learning games.
• 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: You can take notes, organize, save, and print notes from the handy app within the textbook.
• Quizzes: Each lesson concludes with a 10-question, multiple-choice quiz from a test bank of 20 questions. Quizzes give instant feedback so that you never reinforce incorrect information.
• 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 participant attention, learning, and engagement.
• 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! Learn and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time.