Maternal obesity has significant implications for both the parent and fetus. This course discusses the risks associated with maternal obesity, updated care guidelines regarding BMI, and maternal, fetal, and neonatal complications associated with increased morbidity and mortality risk. You will also learn about how biases and perceptions related to BMI can affect the quality of care that patients receive and patient outcomes. Strategies to mitigate these risks through interprofessional care involving providers, nurses, and RDNs will also be reviewed.

Almost 95% of all maternal mortalities happen in low and lower middle-income countries (World Health Organization, 2023). However, the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among all developed countries. Approximately 700 patients die each year in the U.S. due to pregnancy complications and nearly 85% of those deaths are preventable (Hill et al., 2022). Furthermore, the AMA and CDC state that Black and AIAN patients are 3 to 5 times more likely to die from maternal complications than White patients (AMA, 2023). Indigenous, immigrant, refugee, and low-income populations are also at significantly greater risk of poorer maternal outcomes. However, in the past few years, global and national advocacy initiatives have set their philanthropic and financial radar on improving maternal outcomes in these vulnerable communities.

This course discusses best practices in operative vaginal delivery techniques—forceps-assisted delivery and vacuum-assisted delivery (OAVD), as well as episiotomy.

The course is case-based, so you will have an opportunity to apply the principles covered to particular patient scenarios. The cases are branched, with different outcomes based on different choices.

Use of OAVD techniques vary from organization to organization. You may, for example, work in a hospital in which forceps techniques are no longer taught to residents. Each section has been organized so that you can move through it quickly or delve into it more deeply, depending on its relevance to your clinical practice.
 

This course is designed to deepen understanding of stroke risk factors and stroke prevention strategies. Learners will explore key medical and lifestyle risk factors that increase the likelihood of stroke. The course emphasizes the importance of prevention and guides healthcare professionals in implementing practical strategies tailored to diverse patient needs. 

Neonatal emergencies are frightening and challenging to almost all acute care providers. This course will focus on the neonate and provide a succinct review of resuscitation issues pertinent to clinical practice and board preparation/review.

This course is designed to provide nursing professionals with a comprehensive understanding of the NIH stroke scale. The course will cover the purpose of the NIH stroke scale, how to administer the scale, and how to interpret the results. The course will also include case studies that illustrate the use of the NIH stroke scale in clinical practice.

Two cases are presented. Risk factors, including recurring and nonrecurring, for obstetrical hemorrhage, are reviewed. Delivery preparations and preventative strategies are discussed. Methodologies that better quantify blood loss, allowing for earlier recognition of excessive blood loss, are presented. Management of the patient experiencing obstetric hemorrhage, including a review of current guidelines for blood component replacement therapy, are reviewed.

This course is intended to provide a summary of the key nursing interventions and considerations when caring for a laboring patient who is experiencing Category III FHR patterns. Whereas this may not be a daily occurrence, it is important for the labor and delivery nurse to refresh their knowledge of this critical situation, as well as have a source for quick reference in the future. This promotes ongoing efforts to maintain the highest levels of patient safety and care.

This course is intended to provide a summary of the key nursing interventions and considerations when caring for a patient who has a delayed postpartum hemorrhage. Whereas this may not be a daily occurrence, it is important for the postpartum nurse to refresh their knowledge of the critical situation, as well as have a source for quick reference in the future. This promotes ongoing efforts to maintain the highest levels of patient safety and care.

This course is intended to provide a summary of the key nursing interventions and considerations when caring for a pregnant patient with eclampsia. Whereas this may not be a daily occurrence, it is important for the labor and delivery and postpartum nurse to refresh their knowledge of this critical situation, as well as have a source for quick reference in the future. This promotes ongoing efforts to maintain the highest levels of patient safety and care.

This course is intended to provide a summary of the key nursing interventions and considerations when caring for a pregnant patient who has severe hypertension. It is important for the labor and delivery and  postpartum nurse to refresh their knowledge of the critical situation, as well as have a source for quick reference in the future. This promotes ongoing efforts to maintain the highest levels of patient safety and care.

Heart failure (HF) treatment is costly and requires a multidisciplinary approach. Evidence-based treatment guidelines improve patient outcomes, and it is essential to become familiar with these guidelines to reduce patient mortality. Healthcare team members play a significant role in treating acute HF (AHF), helping to reduce the morbidity and mortality of the disease and decrease the use and costs associated with care. This course aims to educate nurses and nutrition and dietetics professionals in the acute care setting about evidence-based heart failure treatment guidelines.

Perioperative providers can BEST prepare for emergencies in the operating room by knowing the responsibilities of each team member and rehearsing interventions ahead of time. When you are in the moment and your heart is racing, it’s easy to forget how to respond or even where supplies are located. Practicing your responsibilities and team interventions ahead of time will help to prepare you for the unexpected. This course provides you with an opportunity to participate in five emergency scenarios to test your knowledge. Time is of the essence when an emergency happens so you must think and act fast to save the patient!

The goal of this course is to equip nurses and STs with knowledge of the responsibilities of the team during a range of OR emergencies. 

Proper surgical specimen handling is essential for patient safety. This course covers best practices for intraoperative personnel to prepare, label, and transfer specimens accurately. Adhering to these protocols ensures that specimens are identified and handled appropriately, minimizing the risk of harm to the patient.

This course provides OR nurses and surgical technologists with knowledge of best practices for specimen handling.

Worldwide, postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) accounts for high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality. Early recognition is key to good outcomes. Recognizing PPH, its stages, and how to measure blood loss is essential since treatment is based on the stages of hemorrhage. Additionally, it is important to understand nursing interventions, treatments for PPH, and teamwork and communication needs to improve perinatal outcomes.

This course aims to enhance the knowledge of acute care nurses about postpartum hemorrhage, including its causes, risk factors, and medical and surgical management.

As a healthcare professional transporting patients to the ED, you may serve patients with symptoms indicative of behavioral health disorders, such as depressive, bipolar, and anxiety disorders. In some situations, the ED provider must administer psychiatric medications. However, if possible, it is prudent to defer their use until the patient is admitted to an inpatient mental health facility or seen as an outpatient. In many instances, the reason for presentation in the ED is an adverse reaction to psychiatric medications.