Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE NUR5128

 
TITLE Resuscitation and Immediate Care

 
UM LEVEL 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course

 
MQF LEVEL 7

 
ECTS CREDITS 10

 
DEPARTMENT Nursing

 
DESCRIPTION This study-unit is primarily aimed at nurses who work in areas of emergency and urgent care, and who are expected to identify and manage, either independently or as part of a team, immediately life-threatening conditions that may occur as a consequence of illness or trauma.

This study-unit follows Styner's systematic 'ABCDE' approach to emergency patient assessment, and builds on each of the five components to achieve an advanced level of emergency patient assessment. Basic and advanced interventions which can be implemented to address the problems identified through the emergency patient assessment are also addressed. The importance of a team-approach and communication in resuscitation are emphasised throughout. Participants will be expected to demonstrate competence in patient assessment and immediate care through skill stations and simulated scenarios.

This study-unit will adopt a problem-based approach and will be conducted through lectures, workshops and lab simulation. Lectures will provide the baseline knowledge on which students will be expected to pursue additional self-directed learning.

Through workshops and simulations students will have the possibility to discuss and practice the assessment and management of critically ill and injured patients in a safe and controlled simulated environment.

This study-unit will be assessed through a 2 hour multiple-choice examination and a practical examination focusing on patient assessment, identification and immediate management of critical illness and management of resuscitation. A pass in both components in required for an overall pass to be awarded.

Study-Unit Contents:
- Physiology for resuscitation;
- Emergency patient assessment: primary and secondary assessment;
- Airway management: The airway ladder, supra-glottic and laryngeal airway devices;
- Advanced airway procedures: Rapid sequence induction, endotracheal intubation and surgical crichothyroidotomy;
- Hypoxia and shock: prevention, identification and management;
- Supporting ventilation and oxygenation;
- Dealing with life-threatening chest injuries;
- Bleeding (external and internal): assessment and management;
- Fluid and drug administration in resuscitation and immediate care;
- Advanced life support;
- Acute pain: assessment and management;
- Obstetric and paediatric considerations in resuscitation;
- Ethics of resuscitation; and
- Resuscitation in the pre-hospital setting.

Study-unit Aims:

- To consolidate basic emergency assessment procedures and interventions which students would have acquired through pre-registration training and clinical experience;
- To acquaint students with advanced emergency assessment procedures which are required for the identification of immediately or potentially life-threatening conditions;
- To consolidate the competencies which are required during an emergency situation and which form the foundations of immediate care and resuscitation; and
- To instruct students in advanced clinical competencies related to the delivery of immediate care and resuscitation.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Critically discuss the pathophysiological and pharmacological considerations related to immediately life-threatening conditions in illness and trauma;
- List all the steps and components of Styner's 'ABCDE' approach to emergency patient assessment, and discuss the importance of using a sequential and systematic approach to emergency patient assessment;
- Critically describe and discuss the immediately or potentially life-threatening conditions which can be identified through Styner's 'ABCDE' emergency patient assessment sequence;
- Describe and discuss the guidelines which regulate the administration of life-saving drugs;
- Describe and discuss the assessment and management of acute pain caused by sudden illness or injury;
- Describe the appropriate plan of care for each of the conditions identified, and discuss the indications, contraindications, limitations and consequences for each of the interventions and procedures considered;
- Discuss special considerations related to immediate care and resuscitation of specific common patient populations (e.g. children, pregnant women, drowning);
- Discuss the ethical principles that surround resuscitation; and
- Discuss the application and adaptation of principles of immediate care and resuscitation to the pre-hospital setting.

2. Skills
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Carry out a comprehensive patient assessment using Styner's 'ABCDE' approach;
- Identify immediately or potentially life-threatening 'ABCDE' problems that can occur as a consequence of illness or trauma;
- Provide immediate medical care to patients with immediately or potentially life-threatening problems as identified through Styner's 'ABCDE' assessment sequence in the appropriate order of priority;
- Manage the airway using the airway ladder approach (up to and including surgical crichothyroidotomy);
- Support ventilation and oxygenation (incl. patient positioning, artificial/assisted ventilation, oxygen administration and immediate relief of a tension pneumothorax);
- Obtain peripheral venous access and intra-osseous access for fluid and drug administration;
- Control bleeding using interventions up to and including the tourniquet, pelvic circumferential compression and femoral traction;
- Support rapid sequence induction and provide advanced life support; and
- Demonstrate leadership and teamwork in resuscitation and immediate care.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

MAIN TEXTS:

- Driscoll, P. and Gwinnutt, C. (2019) European trauma course: The team approach. (4th ed.) European Resuscitation Council, Belgium.
- Lott, C. (Ed.) (2015) Advanced life support: ERC guidelines 2015. European Resuscitation Council, Belgium.

SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS:

- Adam, S., Odell, M. and Welch, J. (2013) Rapid assessment of the acutely ill patient. (2nd ed.) John Wiley & Sons, Chicester.
- Brown, C.A., Sakles, J.C. and Mick, N.W. (2017) The Walls manual of emergency airway management. (5th ed.) Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia.
- Campbell, J.E. and Alson, R.L. (2017) International trauma life support for emergency care providers. (8th ed.) Pearson Education, Harlow.
- Campo, T.M. and Lafferty, K.A. (Eds.) Essential procedures for emergency, urgent and primary care settings: A clinical companion. (2nd ed.) Springer Publishing, New York.
- Creed, F. and Spiers, C. (Eds.) (2010) Care of the acutely ill adult: An essential guide for nurses. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- Greaves, I., Porter, K. and Smith, J. (2011) Practical pre-hospital care: The principles and practice of immediate care. Elsevier, London.
- Lowes, T., Gospel, A., Griffiths, A. and Henning, J. (2016) Pre-hospital anaesthesia handbook. (2nd ed.) Springer, London.
- Merrick, C. (Ed.) (2018) Advanced trauma life support: Student manual. (10th ed.) American College of Surgeons, Chicago.
- NAEMT (2015) Advanced medical life support: An assessment based approach. (2nd ed.) Jones & Bartlett, Sudbury.
- Nutbeam, T. and Boylan, M. (2013) ABC of pre-hospital emergency medicine. John Wiley & Sons, New York.
- Roberts, J. (2017) Roberts and Hedges’ clinical procedures in emergency medicine and acute care. (7th ed.) Elsevier, Philadelphia .
- Shah, K.H., Weingart, S.D., Medlej, K. and Lee, J. (2013) Practical emergency resuscitation and critical care. Cambridge Universty Press, Cambridge.
- Soar, J., Perkins, G.D. and Nolan, J. (2013) ABC of resuscitation. (6th ed.) John Wiley & Sons, New York.

 
ADDITIONAL NOTES Please note that a pass in all the assessment components is obligatory for an overall pass mark to be awarded.

Pre-Requisite qualifications: Nurses registered with their respective regulatory body, in possession of an MQF Level 6 qualification, with at least 1 year experience in an area of urgent or emergency care.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture, Independent Study and Workshop

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Practical [See Add. Notes] (30 Minutes) SEM2 Yes 50%
Multiple Choice Questions Examination [See Add. Notes] (2 Hours) SEM2 Yes 50%

 
LECTURER/S Trevor Abela Fiorentino

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

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