Enrolled Nurses' Conference - Adelaide 2021
Why Attend
As the health system constantly changes, make sure you are one of the well-informed and up-to-date nursing professionals. Attend this conference and learn about:
- Professional opportunities for enrolled nurses
- Medication updates
- What you need to know about wounds
- Latest trends in diabetes care
- How to deal with ethical dilemmas
- How holistic care differs from a medical model of care
Program
Welcome and Introduction
Delirium and Trauma
Delirium has substantially high mortality. In older people, it can be caused by a raft of factors that include infection, medicines and trauma. Early identification of the condition is imperative if morbidity is to be averted. In trauma situations, delirium could easily be confused with dementia. This session looks at delirium and trauma, how to identify it and what to do when it occurs. It includes:
- How is trauma a trigger for delirium?
- What are the signs and symptoms of delirium, and how do they differ from dementia?
- What should the nurse immediately do if it is suspected a person has delirium? A review of the guidelines
Is It Really Dementia?
The increased incidence of dementia sufferers can make it easier to assume a person has this condition when they, in fact, may have other reasons for their confusion. This session looks at other causes of confusion in an older person. It will offer tips on what to look for to ensure you are not confusing dementia with other diagnoses. It includes:
- Thyroid problems
- Dehydration
- Malnutrition
- Infections
- Medications
When Less Is More? Recognising the Unnecessary Use of Medicines
The adverse effects of medication are a constant concern for healthcare professionals. Knowing the potential risks of a medication can significantly prevent injury or harm, such as falls. This session will look at the adverse effects of medications, the need for deprescribing and how to prevent unnecessary harm. It includes:
- What are some of the common adverse effects of medicines?
- How can you reduce the risk of harm associated with medicines?
- Why is it important to be aware of adverse effects?
- What are the principles of deprescribing?
Your Mandatory Obligations in the Workplace
The regulation of practice aims to mitigate a range of risks by providing a framework for safe, legal, professional, ethical, and accountable practice. What happens when a person’s behaviour falls outside of this? What if we believe that public protection is placed in doubt because of the pathological behaviours of a health professional?
- What happens when no one listens to your concerns?
- What are the ethical and legal responsibilities when someone’s behaviour becomes grossly unacceptable?
- When does bad behaviour become notifiable conduct under the National Regulation Law?
- What steps should you take in reporting bad behaviour?
- What should you do when no one in the workplace listens to your concerns?
- What protections exist for those who are reporting professional misconduct?
How to Take a Drug and Alcohol History
How often do people in your care present with a coexisting or a past history of drug and/or alcohol use? It is essential that all nurses remain up-to-date in the appropriate care of those with a history of substance use. If you encounter patients who experience dependence or demonstrate related behaviours, then assessment skills are essential. Are you confident that you could undertake a comprehensive assessment of a person who has or is using drugs or alcohol? This session reviews:
- When might you need to inquire about a person’s history of drug and alcohol use?
- What types of questions need to be asked and why?
- How would you differentiate delirium from psychosis?
- What if your assessment points towards a substance use disorder?
Saints and Sinners: Healthcare Professionals and Addictions
The TV show Nurse Jackie showed us a healthcare professional with an addiction to prescription medication. Though people have complained about it, it highlights an issue that affects nurses and other healthcare professionals worldwide. This session will explore:
- What are the reasons why some healthcare professionals become addicted to prescription medication, alcohol and/or other drugs?
- Are there any challenges faced by healthcare professionals who want to seek treatment for these addictions?
- How can we help our colleagues who may be addicted to prescription medication, alcohol and/or other drugs?
Debriefing After Critical Incidents
Nurses working in any setting may be involved in a stressful or unexpected traumatic event while at work. This may not be easy to deal with and may require critical incidence stressing. This session will discuss what a debrief entails and when it is effective, giving you an understanding of the principles of debriefing that can be adapted to small everyday stresses to prevent them from building up into big ones. It includes:
- How to prevent the critical incident causing undue stress
- When to know that you may need some support
- An opportunity to constructively debrief as a group
Palliative Care Nursing Assessment: Best Practice Update
It has long been acknowledged that assessment is the cornerstone of nursing practice. Patient assessment within palliative care requires a special combination of skills required to recognise the complex needs of dying people and to respond holistically to concurrent problems in the person’s physical, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions. This session provides an update on a range of issues relating to palliative care. It includes:
- The skills required for palliative assessment
- Assessing all dimensions of the palliative patient
- Impeccable symptom assessment
- The importance of ongoing assessment
Speak up for Patient Safety
Sometimes, healthcare professionals feel that they do not have the right to express their opinions on things they see in the medical field, which may result in patient harm. This session will look at the importance of speaking up for patient safety and discuss:
- Why is it important to empower all healthcare workers, including students, to speak up?
- What are the difficulties in empowering healthcare students to speak up?
- How can we change a culture of underreporting possible breaches to patient safety?
Diabetes Disaster Preparedness
Natural or manmade disasters can happen at any time. So, we have to be ready for any situation. This is especially true for people living with diabetes, as any disaster can be detrimental. This session includes:
- How are natural disasters deleterious, especially for your patients/residents with diabetes?
- What do you have to prepare for your patients/residents with diabetes in case of an emergency?
- Can these patients use other forms of diabetes medication in emergency situations?
- What do you have to watch out for when caring for these patients in an emergency?
- Are there any special considerations you have to be aware of?
The Brain and Diabetes: What Is the Link Between Diabetes and Dementia
Studies have shown that people living with type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. This session includes:
- How does diabetes potentially cause dementia?
- Is there a way we can prevent diabetes-related dementia?
- How does vascular dementia differ from other dementias?
- How does diabetes impact dementia?
- How can we support people with diabetes and dementia?
Aged Care Funding – The Risks of Status Quo vs Benefits of Reform
The Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) has been in place for some time. The Australian Government has developed a proposal to change their approach to funding with the Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) model. A trial of this model began in 2019. This session will look at these funding models including:
- What is the ACFI and how does it work?
- What is the AN-ACC model?
- What are the aims of the new model?
- What does this mean for clinicians and the older person?
Healthcare Complaints
When a complaint is made against a healthcare practitioner or provider, it is up to the Health Care Complaints Commission to investigate this complaint. This session will include:
- The role of the expert reviewer
- The complaint management framework
- The expert code of conduct
- Providing evidence
Presenters
Peter Hayball
Dr Peter Hayball is the principal pharmacist for the South Australian Ambulance Service where his chief role is to assist paramedics of all levels to use the best available medicines in a safe and efficacious fashion. This is done by assisting across the complete medication cycle from selection for pre-hospital use, distribution, storage and use of medicines for patients of the service. Peter plays an active role in educating paramedics on pharmacology, pharmacotherapeutics and related topics, such as recreational drug abuse, toxicology and toxinology. He serves on a range of governance and therapeutic expert advice committees internally and externally, including external bodies such as SA Police, SA Forensics, SA Health and St Johns Ambulance.
Linda Starr
Dr Linda Starr has undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in general, mental health nursing, law, education and a PhD in legal issues in elder abuse. Linda has extensive experience as an RN in metropolitan and rural locations, in general nursing, mental health, forensic health, aged care and management. She has held senior positions in academia, including the dean of the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Linda has publications in health law and forensic health issues. Linda is an associate professor in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Flinders University and a consultant educator in health law and ethics for nurses, midwives and carers. She is chair of the SA Board of Nursing and Midwifery, fellow of the College of Nursing Australia, foundation president of the Australian Forensic Nurses Association, member on the School of Health Academic Advisory Board for Open Colleges and the international member on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Forensic Nursing.
Rinaldo Minniti
Rinaldo Minniti is the clinical lead for psychology in the Drug and Alcohol Services, South Australia. He has senior academic status at the University of Adelaide and Flinders University. He has specialist knowledge and skills in the addictions field, particularly for clients with a complex clinical presentation, including mental health issues and acquired brain injury.
Karen Glaetzer
Karen Glaetzer was the first Nurse in Australia to be endorsed as a Nurse Practitioner in the specialty of Palliative Care in 2003. Before her retirement in March 2018, she worked for almost 30 years for Southern Adelaide Palliative Services and is considered a pioneer in palliative care in South Australia. She has received numerous awards throughout her carer including an AM in January 2018 for services to nursing, palliative care, people living with motor neuron disease and professional groups and a Churchill Fellowship in 2013 to research the palliative care needs of individuals with Physical and Intellectual Disabilities. She is currently working casually for Eldercare as a Palliative Nurse Practitioner.
Kathryn Resili
Kathryn Resili has a Master’s Degree as a Nurse Practitioner, gaining membership to the Golden Key International Honour Society for Academic performance. She is an Endorsed Nurse Practitioner for the Older Person, with a focus on Dementia and Delirium. Kathryn was a founding nursing member of the Geriatric Evaluation and Management Service at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital and is currently working in the Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) Multidisciplinary Community Geriatric Service. Kathryn has a special interest in Dementia and Delirium and has been involved extensively in providing Nursing Education on this topic. She has been a finalist in the South Australian Nursing and Midwifery Excellence awards and was a proud recipient of the Anne Crouch Award for Post Graduate Nursing Education 2014.
Need for Program
The scope of practice of enrolled nurses (ENs) has become more complex over time. Safety and competency skills are critical to ENs practice, and it is essential that continuous updates to knowledge and skills are undertaken. Holistic nursing care relies on comprehensive approaches to patient conditions. This further reflects the need for broad-based education that places the person at the centre of care. In addition, continuing professional development is a professional regulatory requirement.
Purpose of Program
The purpose of this program is to improve patient outcomes by increasing the clinical and professional knowledge and practice of enrolled nurses.
Your learning outcomes
- Negotiate holistic care with adults who have chronic conditions that is attuned to their desired outcomes
- Critically interpret and use patient information from a range of sources to provide best-practice nursing care
- Use communication as a therapeutic tool to facilitate collegial and interprofessional collaboration
- Implement and evaluate care that reflects best-available nursing evidence so that safe and quality care is provided
Enrolled Nurses' Conference - Adelaide 2021
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