Trauma Nursing CEU Courses

Concussions Evaluation and Management in Pediatric Patients Evaluation and Management in Pediatric Patients are head injuries that are caused by a traumatic, biomechanical force. The symptoms of concussion are primarily the result of functional disturbances, not structural injuries, and may include headache, dizziness, changes in mood or behavior, and changes in sleep patterns. Despite increased awareness of the injury, concussion remains under-reported and under-diagnosed. Diagnosis of a concussion is based largely on the presence of clinical symptoms as there is no quantitative test for concussion. Neuroimaging is considered to be overused in the acute evaluation of concussions since imaging technologies, such as CT, cannot diagnose concussion. CT can only identify more serious injuries, such as hemorrhages or contusions. In the future, serum biomarkers may be helpful in stratifying patients at increased risk of related injuries or complications from concussion.

Hypotension (systolic blood pressure < 90 mmHg) is often considered the defining hallmark of shock, but it can also be a late or deceptive sign. Therefore, other signs and symptoms must be identified early to detect and respond to a patient’s deteriorating state before irreversible shock ensues. The pathophysiologic process of shock is complicated, which makes nursing management challenging. An understanding of the pathophysiology, aspects of diagnosis, and effective interventions are crucial to patient survival. Knowledge of the different states of shock and evidenced-based interventions is important for nurses as they play a vital role in promoting timely detection and treatment. Such knowledge can help the clinical nurse promote care that is based on the latest guidelines.

This module features an overview of disaster management in EDs, including the definition of the four stages of disaster management and the appropriate triage of patients. Preparation of ED personnel, such as RNs, EMTs, physicians, pharmacists, and technicians, will help them to respond to disasters and the patient populations affected by them more effectively.

Almost 15% of Emergency Department (ED) visits are due to hand and wrist injuries (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2017). While most hand injuries are straightforward, many cause long-term complications that may profoundly alter a person’s ability to work, practice creative pursuits, and enjoy life to its fullest. This continuing education program addresses the assessment and treatment of patients with hand trauma. The incidence of hand related trauma is high. The failure to properly preserve amputated digits, assess for emergent complications, and properly cleanse such injuries can result in long-term functional consequences for the injured.

This course will be discontinued on April 30, 2019, because a new version of it (60279 Interprofessional Guide to Pain Management) is now available.

Pain is experienced by almost all patients regardless of age or sex. Virtually all health professionals help patients who are experiencing pain, and physicians, nurses, therapists, psychologists, pharmacists and social workers can specialize in pain management. Thus, no single discipline completely understands pain, and how or why it manifests in individual patients. To provide comprehensive team-based care, professionals must understand the limits of their own expertise, while gaining insight from and an appreciation for that of other disciplines. This requires health professionals to collaborate to better assess, understand and manage patients with complex pain. By working together for the common goal of developing an effective, safe, comprehensive patient-centered treatment plan, patients with pain who don't respond to usual treatments can have more positive outcomes.

Most healthcare workers have difficulty understanding CT scans of the brain. This is most likely related to the complexity of the brain's anatomy. Understanding the cross-sectional anatomy of the normal, injured or diseased brain can help improve awareness of common brain injuries that can be diagnosed with a CT scan.

Penetrating trauma involves wounding instruments that penetrate the skin and directly injure body tissue. Although there are numerous examples of penetrating trauma — such as a child falling on a pencil that penetrates the globe of the eye or a piece of shrapnel from an explosive device tearing through a limb — two obvious causes of penetrating trauma are firearm wounds and stabbings. This module discusses the mechanism of injury involved in firearm injuries and stab wounds. The healthcare providers should have a baseline understanding of the mechanisms of injury surrounding this form of trauma.

This course will be discontinued on June 15, 2019, because a new version of it (60264 When Disasters Strike: Preparing for the Unexpected) is now available.

This module features an overview of disaster management in EDs, including the definition of the four stages of disaster management and the appropriate triage of patients. It also describes the unique considerations of disasters that involve a chemical, radiological, or biological agent. Preparation of ED personnel, such as EMTs and RNs, will enable them to respond to disasters and the patient populations affected by them more effectively.

The course will be discontinued on August 8, 2019. Please plan to finish the course by August 7th if you wish to earn credit for it.

In the best of times, Haiti is overwhelmed with endemic infectious diseases. A massive earthquake hit in January 2010, causing extensive damage to the country's infrastructure and fragile health system. The risk of acquiring an infectious disease became even greater. The earthquake made it worse, and the potential for massive outbreaks of infectious disease was and remains enormous for the estimated 150,000 still displaced in temporary plastic and plywood shelters a number of years later. Healthcare providers must be knowledgeable about infectious diseases in Haiti and in any other location in which they provide emergency aid, and be aware of the protective measures to take before traveling.