Pain management in the emergency department relies heavily on the use of opioid analgesics, which generates risk for patients to develop long term opioid use or an opioid use disorder.  Multimodal analgesia can improve the patient experience and reduce the risks of opioid use if emergency providers approach pain with a more critical mindset.This activity is designed to help emergency providers improve management of pain while decreasing patient exposure to opioids.  It is also designed to help providers navigate how to manage patients with opioid use disorder.

This course provides a comprehensive understanding of stroke care from onset to rehab. Details of stroke care in the acute care setting and rehabilitation for stroke are reviewed. Stroke prevention strategies are explained. 

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) was enacted to prevent patient dumping by hospitals seeking to avoid unrecoverable costs of care for patients without insurance or the ability to pay for medical services. Language within the statute has led to inconsistencies in how it has been interpreted. Patient dumping and inappropriate medical screening examinations (MSEs) are the most common reasons for EMTALA violations (Ladd & Gupta, 2021). This course will describe how key terms are currently interpreted and how they apply to hospitals with a dedicated emergency department (ED). In addition, learners will have an opportunity to review cases where EMTALA violations were alleged and judgments applied by the courts. 

The goal of this course is to provide addictions, behavioral health counseling, marriage and family therapy, nursing, psychology, and social work professionals in health and human service settings with information about how substance use disorders can impact family systems and approaches to help the family system. 

The goal of this course is to provide the clinician with up-to-date best practices for identifying and treating patients with PAD. It includes symptoms, complications, risk factors, and modifications of PAD. In addition, diagnostic tests, assessment, and treatment strategies will be discussed.

In this course, you will learn to identify different depressive disorders, as well as the unique ways depression manifests in children and adolescents. Additionally, you will learn to recognize risk factors for both depression and suicidality in youth.  

An integrated care model treats the whole child by combining primary care and mental healthcare in one setting. Within this model, treatment providers understand how to screen for depression and suicidality in order to coordinate care. You will learn about specific instruments useful for detecting depression and suicidality among youth. An understanding of the root causes of depression will highlight the rationale for various treatment approaches. Lastly, you will be able to describe the best practices available to help children and adolescents manage depression.  

Approximately 30 million Americans have some form of hepatic failure. There are 11,886 people in the U.S. on the transplant list waiting for a new liver (Health Resources & Services Administration, 2021). Hepatic failure is rated as one of the leading causes of death, yet we know much less about this condition compared to other chronic diseases. Clinicians should be familiar with signs of liver failure and related conditions, risk factors for the disease, and treatment strategies.

The purpose of this course is to educate healthcare professionals on the causes, complications, and characteristics of hepatic failure to better manage and care for this patient population.

Concussion is a form of mild traumatic brain injury that is common in children and adolescents. Despite increased awareness about the injury, concussion remains under-reported and under-diagnosed. Nurses and Radiology Technicians must be aware of the identification, diagnosis, and management of concussions in pediatric patients. 

Mechanical ventilation is a cornerstone of critical care, offering life-saving therapy for patients experiencing respiratory failure for many disease processes. Before 2020, it was estimated that over 300,000 patients receive mechanical ventilation in the U.S. per year (NHSN, 2019). That number is now likely much higher considering the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Although it is a lifesaving intervention, patients who receive mechanical ventilation are at an increased risk for complications, such as ventilator-associated pneumonia, sepsis, volutrauma/barotrauma, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and others. These complications may lead to longer ICU and hospital stays, increased risk of disability and death, and increased healthcare costs. For these reasons, clinicians at every level need to understand the concepts, theories, and practices guiding the management of patients receiving mechanical ventilation.