This course discusses how to recognize, prevent, and report abuse, neglect, and exploitation of vulnerable adults in the state of Washington.

The goal of this course is to educate direct care workers in post-acute care settings on how to identify, prevent, and report suspected or witnessed abuse, neglect, or exploitation in the state of Washington.

Identify the different types of abuse, neglect, and exploitation. 

Recall the legal responsibilities of a mandated reporter to report suspected or witnessed abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

 Recognize the physical and emotional signs or indicators of abuse, neglect, and exploitation. 

Describe ways to support victims of abuse, neglect, and exploitation. 

Identify at least two ways to prevent abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

Do no harm: A fundamental principle of medical care, yet thousands of patients suffer harm from medical errors every day. Some reports estimate annual deaths from medical errors in the U.S. to be as high as 250,000, but a more recent study revealed that number may be highly inflated (Rodwin et al., 2020). The actual number of preventable deaths estimated by a meta-analysis was 22,165, with most occurring in people expected to have less than 3 months to live. For those who were expected to live longer than 3 months, 7,150 deaths occurred. The difference may be due to over-estimation or from initiatives to reduce errors since initial values were released. Regardless, healthcare professionals are obliged to do no harm, so continued efforts are needed to reduce medical errors.

This course is intended to educate nurses, physicians, and physician assistants on the causes and strategies for preventing medical errors.

Identify definitions related to patient safety, medical errors, and adverse events.

Discuss risk factors, prevention strategies, and populations most vulnerable to medical errors.

Describe the root cause analysis process for medical errors.

List factors that contribute to the five most misdiagnosed medical conditions.

Expert Reviewer
Rebecca Smallwood, MBA, RN

Instructor
Cathryn Ayers, RN

You work for a company that provides services to many people. You may need to discuss personal information about the people you serve, but this must be done thoughtfully. Everyone’s personal information must be kept safe.

Explain how to protect confidential information.

Recall what to do when confidential information is shared without consent.

Subject Matter Expert
Sherry D. Haszto, MSN, RN

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.

Describe heart failure, including its classification systems, presentation, treatment, and evidence-based therapies.

Describe strategies for patient self-management.

Writer
Zeliha Ozen, MSN, RN, CCRN, CNL

Subject Matter Expert
Kristine Anne Scordo, Ph.D., ACNP-BC, FAANP

Reviewer
Meredith Moyers MS, RD, LDN

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that approximately 795,000 people within the U.S. experience a stroke annually, and among these individuals, over 75% experience a stroke for the first time (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2021). Stroke, a national and international neurological problem, is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. and the second leading cause of death globally (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020; American Stroke Association [ASA], n.d.). Nurses need to be informed about the urgency of early treatment to be proactive in educating their communities. They also need to understand the resulting behavioral differences created in right- versus left-hemispheric strokes, and how a lack of knowledge can negatively impact immediate post-stroke care.

Identify the risk factors, causes, and acute treatment strategies of strokes.

Recognize the neurologic deficits associated with left- and right-sided strokes, the significance of post-stroke depression, and the importance of depression screening.

Instructor
Andrea Powell, RN, BSN