The fact that patients can become very rapidly unwell is a high risk for them as well as the healthcare team. Attend this two-day seminar to sharpen essential skills for early detection of deterioration. Learn about:
8:30am - Registration and Refreshments
9:00am
9:15am
Acute illness can trigger an array of psychological and physiological responses that have the potential to be either beneficial or harmful. Whilst nurses need to focus their attention on what physiological changes may be occurring, we often forget that beneath this is a person! This brief introductory session considers what happens to not just the body but a person's mind and wellbeing during illness and the nursing implications for this.
9:30am
Nurses are essential in the early detection of clinical triggers that may suggest a patient is deteriorating or has already become acutely unwell. Appropriate and timely assessment is known to reduce morbidity and mortality, thus improving patient outcomes. This session reviews important assessment considerations, including:
10:30am - Morning Tea
11:00am
A deviation from acid-base balance homeostasis can severely affect any organ in the human body. In this interactive and practical session, you will develop a better understanding of this complex topic. It includes:
12:00pm
The ability to recognise subtle changes in a person’s neurological state will enable you to detect signs of deterioration early. The purpose of this session is to take you through the basics of a neurological assessment, including a simplified approach to using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). Topics covered include:
1:00pm - Lunch and Networking
2:00pm
There are certain ECG changes that may be present in the context of Acute Coronary Syndromes (ACS) that must be correctly identified and reported urgently. This session will use case studies to take a look at some of these important changes, helping you to immediately gain confidence and apply this knowledge to your clinical practice. It includes:
3:00pm - Afternoon Tea
3:30pm
Acute illness, can originate from or eventually compromise cardiovascular function. Chest pain may be an early indicator of this. So if your patient reports that they have chest pain, what would you do next? How would you assess this individual? Would you be confident in knowing the cause? Would you be able to act on this potential cause of acute illness to prevent a downward spiral of events? This session will leave you feeling much more confident that you can answer these questions. It includes:
4:15pm - Close of Day One of Seminar
9:00am - Commencement of Day Two
9:00am
The respiratory system is often thought of as a difficult system to assess. However, the importance of assessment cannot be underestimated, particularly as problems associated with the respiratory system often result in acute deterioration and may be the cause of a patient becoming acutely unwell. This session will review key anatomical and physiological principles to guide your assessment of respiratory failure. It includes:
9:45am
Failure to recognise and appropriately treat fluid and electrolyte imbalances can have fatal consequences. Knowledge and understanding of normal physiological processes is essential for accurate patient assessment. This session will refresh your knowledge and assist you to get up-to-speed of the different types of fluids and their uses. Topics include:
10:30am - Morning Tea
11:00am
Acute onset of kidney injury ranges from mild impairment of function through to acute kidney failure. The incidence increases significantly with progressive severity of the underlying cause. Topics include:
12:00pm
Pulmonary embolism, tension pneumothorax, and/or pericardial tamponade, are potentially dangerous cardiac conditions that require alert and responsive care. Your cardiac assessment skills are vital if you are to recognise these states early to ensure appropriate management occurs and rapid deterioration is prevented. In this session, you will review the following considerations for these three common cardiac causes of clinical deterioration:
1:00pm - Lunch and Networking
2:00pm
Did you know that sepsis is one of the leading causes of death globally? Preventing mortality related to sepsis begins with early detection and timely interventions. This session uses case scenarios to explain the pathophysiological mechanisms by which sepsis develops. It will look at how you can detect the early warning signs of sepsis. Finally, it will assist you to understand the evidence-based management of this potentially fatal condition across a range of clinical settings. It includes:
3:00pm - Afternoon Tea and Coffee
3:30pm
While the purpose of clinical assessment is to prevent deterioration and recognise acute illness early, it is inevitable that some patients will become significantly unwell. This final session of the seminar will examine some of the key communication challenges that can occur when these sticky situations arise. Take away some key practical skills to help you manage your own stress during these situations.
4:00pm - Close of Seminar and Evaluations
Joanne Reading is a clinical educator within the 42-bed ICU at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, which also services critically ill patients from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Royal Women’s Hospital. Joanne holds a critical care graduate certificate and a master of health science with a focus on education. She is also the author of her own nursing education website called 'Blogging for your Noggin'. With a special interest in all things cardiac and respiratory. Joanne is passionate about ensuring that education not only fosters critical thinking but is entertaining in the process!
Growing numbers of high acuity patients are being cared for by a diversity of healthcare workers and across a wide range of clinical settings, not just in acute care units. The more acutely unwell a person is the greater the risk of poor patient outcomes, including increased morbidity and mortality. Rapidly recognising and responding to subtle and obvious changes in a patient’s condition is a high priority of the healthcare team if patient deterioration is to be averted.
This seminar assists nurses and other health professionals to sharpen skills and confidence in recognising and managing patients whose clinical condition is deteriorating.
10 - 11 May 2021
19 - 20 Jul 2021
12 - 13 Aug 2021
25 - 26 Oct 2021
11 - 12 Nov 2021
22 - 23 Nov 2021
9 - 10 Dec 2021
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