Health Care Protocols 3

Price (includes one year of access and CE):  US$18 Course Code: 7SENNF-PRV-09-ddn323 CE: 3.75 Hours. Post Test Score Required for Successful Completion: 80%

Course Overview:

The Health Care Protocol modules are designed to increase the knowledge and skills of registered nurses (RNs) who are responsible for designing and evaluating nursing care plans for clients with developmental disabilities residing in community care facilities. Nurses will learn to use Health Care Protocols to help manage client care through early detection of emerging and urgent health problems and referral to the appropriate health provider, if needed. The emphasis is on the partnership relationship among the client, the caregiver who is making and reporting changes in the client's health status, and the nurse who must assess the situation and determine the most appropriate course of action.

Module Three describes selected health problems, including protocols for deciding whether the problem can be managed with home treatment, or whether it requires referral to a health care provider or emergency services. The health problems covered in Module Three include pain (indicators of pain and pain management), respiratory problems (asthma, choking, shortness of breath, upper respiratory infections, influenza, sinusitis and pneumonia), and skin conditions (bruises, scrapes, lacerations, punctures, blisters, boils, burns, rashes, bacterial infections, fungal infections, parasites, psoriasis, and pressure sores). Module Three also discusses silent clues that can indicate the presence of health problems in people who cannot communicate verbally, and discusses the action to take if health observations indicate that a person with developmental disabilities could be a victim of abuse or neglect. The Health Care Protocols can be printed and used as guidelines in community residential facilities.

Course Objectives:

After completion of this learning activity, the learner will be able to:

• describe the responsibility of the licensed nurse with regard to implementing the Health Care Protocols for early detection and referral of emerging and urgent health care problems.
• describe critical issues that commonly require consideration when managing the nursing care of people with developmental disabilities, including the development of secondary conditions.
• determine the appropriate nursing action to take when presented with signs and symptoms that may be related to:
  • respiratory problems
  • skin problems
• perform an appropriate pain assessment in both the verbal and non-verbal person.
• determine appropriate actions to take based on pain assessment data and other symptoms.
• assess silent cues of possible underlying medical concerns.
• identify signs of potential abuse.

This courseware was made possible in part by grant number R43 NR04738-03 from the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors.

Copyright© 2007 by HealthSoft, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

HealthSoft, Inc. is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the New York State Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

It has been assigned code 7SENNF-PRV-09.

This course is updated annually. Expiration date: 5/1/11

The faculty and planners of this course have no vested interests to disclose.

This course has received no commercial support.