Clinical Deterioration: Cardiac

How confident are you that you could recognise and rapidly respond to changes in your patient’s condition? Start this Course now to gain an essential refresher on how to identify, assess and prevent cardiac deterioration.

• What are the early warning signs of cardiac deterioration?
• How do you manage chest pain?
• Which basic ECG changes are present in acute myocardial infarction?
• Assessing low cardiac output states including tension pneumothorax, cardiac tamponade and pulmonary embolism...

There is a significant potential for patients across any clinical setting to rapidly become unwell.

The ability to recognise and interpret clinical cues and implement timely appropriate, evidence-based interventions, has a significant positive impact on patient outcomes.

Education is essential if registered nurses and other health professionals are to maintain knowledge and confidence of how to identify, assess and prevent clinical deterioration.

The purpose of this Course is to provide registered nurses and other health professionals with education relating to cardiac deterioration in order to assist in the prevention of disability and premature death.

• Recognise and respond to common early warning signs of cardiac deterioration in the patient and possible causes.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the evidence for deterioration from assessment findings.
• Provide reasoning for specific nursing interventions to improve patient outcomes.
• Justify the application of recommended measures to prevent deterioration in the patient at risk.

Registered nurses and other health professionals will gain confidence from undertaking this Course, given the prevalence of and harm associated with cardiac deterioration

No conflict of interest exists for anyone in the position to control content for this activity. Wherever possible, generic or non-proprietary names of medications or products have been used.

Sue de Muelenaere is a registered nurse with more than 20 years’ experience as a nurse educator. Sue completed a five-year bachelor of nursing degree in South Africa, which included training in psychiatric and community nursing and midwifery. Since then, Sue has worked extensively in the intensive care environment, during which she has presented various courses, including an honour’s degree, a diploma in intensive care, and various short cardiac and ECG courses. Sue also holds an honour’s degree in advanced nursing science (intensive care nursing) and diplomas in nursing education and nursing administration. She was the education manager in a specialised heart hospital where she was responsible for the education of all hospital staff, including non-nursing staff members. Sue is passionate about teaching. She maintains a special interest in all aspects of nursing the critically-ill patient. See Educator Profile