Care of the Child with an Acute Illness

8.30am - Registration and Refreshments

9.00am - When a Child is Sick

There is a clear difference between the nursing care of adults versus the nursing care of children. This session will review the anatomical, physiological and developmental aspects that make infants and children different. It will then discuss the differences in the approaches to care that need to be made.

• Which special considerations need to be taken into account when a child is sick?

9.00am - Common Minor Illnesses and Symptoms Experienced By Children

Surgical units are becoming faster paced, busier and more complex. So how are we meeting these challenges to keep pace with the need to provide care for increasingly complex patient requirements? In this session we will look at:

• Children who complain of headaches.

• Eczema and psoriasis.

• Tinea, scabies and lice.

• Abdominal pain — most common causes and symptoms

10.15am - Morning Tea and Coffee

11.00am - Infectious Diseases - What is That Rash?

Rashes present in distinctive ways and not all rashes are the same. Knowing whether a rash is the result of herpes or a chickenpox outbreak is important. How can you tell if a rash is serious or not? This interesting session will take you on the knowledge journey of rash identification. At the end, you will be more confident to know which rashes require a child to be immediately isolated or sent to hospital and which are benign and self-limiting.

• Sources of infection.

• What are the common rashes seen in children?

• What are the common infectious diseases of childhood?

• Meningococcal disease and how to recognise it.

12.30pm - Lunch Break

1.30pm - Infectious Diseases - Immunisation

Immunisation is a fundamental preventive medical intervention that saves many lives in modern society. In this session, you will be updated on current immunisation schedules recommended for infants and children. In this session, you will be updated on current immunisation schedules recommended for infants and children.

• What is the recommended immunisation schedule and which new vaccines are available?

• Are preventable diseases still a risk for children? Examples are diphtheria, chickenpox and mumps.

• What if a child is not immunised?

2.30pm - Gastroenteritis - A Preventable Cause of Suffering

The term ‘gastroenteritis’ means inflammation of the stomach and intestines. The inflammation nearly always causes diarrhoea, and often vomiting. Gastroenteritis is a common childhood disease that can be very serious if not properly managed. This interesting session looks at the common causes of gastroenteritis and what can be done to prevent an outbreak.

• What are the common causes of gastroenteritis?

An update on management of this alimentary tract condition and an understanding of when an infant or child needs admission to hospital.

3.15pm - Afternoon Tea and Coffee

3.45pm - When a Child has a Fever

Fevers are common in young children. In fact, having a fever is one of the most common reasons for children to be taken to a doctor or hospital emergency department. There are many causes for childhood fever. This session will teach you the benefits of fever and when a child with a fever needs to be treated. It will also discuss the use and incorrect use of certain medicines used to treat children with a fever.

• What is a fever and why does the body react in this manner?
• What is considered a ‘dangerously high’ temperature?
• Can you prevent a child with a fever from having a febrile convulsion?

Discussion of the management of a child or infant with a fever.

4.00pm - Close of Day One of Seminar
 

9.00am - Coughs, Colds, Sneezes and Wheezes

Coughs, colds, sneezes and wheezes are all signs of various respiratory infections - that is, infections of the nose, throat, airways, and lungs. Discover more about respiratory diseases by learning the different terminologies associated with various signs and symptoms. This session will also focus on which children need to be isolated and other infection control issues relating to a range of respiratory conditions.

• What are common upper respiratory tract infections?
• Learn about asthma and bronchiolitis.
• What are the signs and symptoms of croup, whooping cough etc. and how are they managed in the community and in hospital?

10.00 Nursing Care of a Child with an Altered State of Consciousness

Children experience coma as a result of many different conditions. Learn how to differentiate the possible causes of coma and specifically the care of a child who has had a seizure.

• Learn how poisoning can be a cause of altered consciousness.

10.45 Morning Tea and Coffee

11.00 Minor Trauma

When children experience a minor injury it can cause distress for all concerned. Sometimes, minor injury can become a very traumatic experience for a child, due to the reaction of an adult who is also distressed, because they are unsure of the seriousness of the injury, or do not know what to do. This session will give you an overview of common minor injuries experienced by children and explain the appropriate first aid measures.

• How do you know if a bone is broken and how should the break be immobilized before seeking medical attention and how will the injury be managed in hospital?
• What does a dislocation look like?
• What about other sports injuries?
• How can you decide if a laceration needs stitches?
• Managing minor head injuries.

12.30 Lunch Break

1.30 Burns and Scalds

A scald is an injury caused by hot liquid, whereas a burn is an injury caused by dry heat. This interesting session looks at the different injuries that are caused by heat mechanisms and explains how to assess and treat such injuries.

• How to assess the degree of burn or scalds.
• First Aid and hospital management of such injuries.
• How to identify and manage heat stroke.

2.15 Child Abuse

Child abuse is a devastating occurrence and needs careful, sensitive and informed identification, assessment and management. For nurses, reporting such events is a mandatory requirement.

• What signs would make you suspect that child abuse may be occurring?
• Why does child abuse present in so many different ways?
• What must you do if you suspect child abuse?
• Mandatory reporting and your responsibilities.

2.45 Afternoon Tea and Coffee

3.00 Emergency Care of Children

The final session will familiarise you with some emergency procedures that can be life saving. It will include:

• What happens in a severe allergic reaction? Examples include peanut allergy and bee stings.
• What is the emergency care for a choking infant or child?
• What to do when a child has a seizure.
• Paediatric Resuscitation - what’s new?

4.00 Close of Seminar and Evaluations