Acute illness: assessment and initial management

Session overview Description

This session covers a safe, prioritised approach to the recognition, assessment and initial management of the sick patient.

UKFP Curriculum 2021

This elearning session covers some of the behaviours in:

• FPC1: Clinical assessment: assess patient needs in a variety of clinical settings including acute, non-acute and community
• FPC2: Clinical prioritisation: recognise and, where appropriate, initiate urgent treatment of deterioration in physical and mental health
• FPC3: Holistic planning: diagnose and formulate treatment plans (with appropriate supervision) that include ethical consideration of the physical, psychological and social needs of the patient
• FPC5: Continuity of care: contribute to safe ongoing care both in and out of hours

Learning objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• recognise and assess an ill patient using a prioritised and rapid ABCDE system
• assess basic airway interventions to clear an airway
• recognise patients in which there is a need to call for help
• clinically assess a patient's circulatory status and use basic automated monitoring
• look for, and reverse quickly, any remediable causes of coma, for example, hypoglycaemia and drug overdose
• appreciate your own limitations and where further assistance is necessary
• define the importance of good team work in expediting safe, effective and timely patient management