Courses - Health Care

Legal Nurse Consultant

Jacob's The eLearning Centre  proudly offers the most comprehensive collection of online continuing education courses from the world's best eLearning companies and authors. Through partnerships with respected online training corporations and institutions across the globe we provide self-study courses with open enrollment in nearly every subject imaginable.  The courses here are health care courses.

Legal Nurse Consultant

Charting With a Jury in Mind

After completion of this course the participant should be able to:

1. Identify four purposes of the medical record.

2. Describe examples of incorrect documentation.

3. Describe how a late entry should be placed in the medical record.

4. Define what objective charting means.

5. Identify the three components that must be included in documenting a patient's pain.

The purpose of this program:

• To provide the registered nurse with useful and informative guidelines on documentation.

• To enhance and nursing practice and risk management techniques by the formulation of an objective medical record which adheres to state and federal criteria.

• To educate the nurse on the importance of the medical record if he or she is involved in litigation.

Evaluating Burn Cases - A Primer for the Life Care Planner and LNC

After completion of this course the participant should be able to:

1. Verbalize an increased understanding of burn injuries

2. Increase knowledge regarding the basic understanding of such injuries

3. Enhance each learner's ability to utilize this information in the trial of burn cases.

4. Expand vocabulary regarding terms used in burn cases

Course Sample:
In evaluating cases for attorneys and for risk management departments the following potential witnesses should be considered

• Family Physician

• Treating Physician

• Psychiatrist
• Psychologist
• Social Worker
• Nurse
• Recreational Therapist
• Physical Therapist
• Occupational Therapist
• Vocational Counselor
• Employment Expert

BURNS

Basic Foundation

Burns effect individuals in an extremely damaging way. Each year in terms of death, pain, mental anguish, and money burns are unmatched by any form of preventable injury. Over 2 million burn injuries occur each year with annual costs of approximately two billion dollars and 9,000 lives.

The quality of medical care has improved through the years, which in turn has increased survivability and the resulting costs to treat and rehabilitate the more severely injured survivors. Burn units are in most tertiary facilities and most secondary facilities can care for uncomplicated first and second degree burn cases. From 1965 to 1979 the survival rate for all ages increased from about 35% to 50% when at least 60% of the body was burned. That percentage of survivability continues to increase, and the accompanying medical and rehabilitative costs continue to increase with it.

Statistics also show that burn injuries are closely related to the ages of the victims, with children in the one to five-year-old age group being most likely to be victimized. The second most likely age group to suffer burn injuries is seventeen to twenty-five.The likelihood of burn injury decreases after age twenty-five. The most likely places for injury to occur are in the kitchen or bathroom. The most frequent cause of burns to small children is from bathing or pulling hot items off the stove. Flammable fabrics are also a source of horrible injuries, especially the cotton-polyester blends that are so popular. Clothing fires are just as devastating to the elderly as they are to children. Both have great difficulty in removing burning clothing.

Of significance to the life care planner/legal consultant is that the younger the victim, the more expensive the treatment and rehabilitation, even though the actual length of the average hospital stay has been declining. It may take twenty years to complete the surgery necessitated by burn injuries to a child. It is difficult to forecast such staggering future costs both in terms of money and of their psychological effect upon the victim.

The LCP/LNC must also know that there are two distinctly different but equally important aspects of the treatment of the victim. First is survival and second is living. The first requires the knowledge and skill of a medical team. The second requires the knowledge and skill of a rehabilitation team.

HOW TO ASSESS AND CLASSIFY BURN INJURIES

The factors to be considered in assessing and classifying burn injuries include the percentage of the body surface that has been burned, the depth of the burns, and the environment in which the burn occurred. It is well documented that the more extensive the percentage of the body burned, the more of a chance there is of long term morbidity and mortality. The deeper the burn, the more permanent the injury. Another factor of chief importance is the environment in which the burn occurred. Chemical or gas burns may cause additional internal injuries to the endotracheal, pulmonary, and circulatory systems of the body.

It is essential that core body temperature remain regulated within a finite range to avoid severe damage. The ability of the body to thermoregulate to external temperatures contributes to the result of the exposure to heat. As long as the body is able to maintain homeostasis in relation to the changes of outside temperature and maintain the proper internal temperature, significant cell damage can be avoided. The body tolerates temperatures of up to 44�C degrees (111�F degrees) for short periods however care must be taken to avoid hot baths or hot tub use for prolonged period of time. Between 44�C and 51�C (124�F), a doubling in the rate of tissue and cell damage occurs for each degree of temperature increase even for short periods. Above 51�C, the exposure time for severe burns is very brief and when above 70�C (158�F) the probability of total tissue and cell destruction is assured even for very short exposure times.

BURN CLASSIFICATION

Burns are classified as superficial, partial thickness, or full thickness. In the past few decades burns were classified more or less exclusively as first, second or third degree. The former classification listed above is beginning to be the preferred term.

The classification is dependent upon the depth of the burn as it relates to the outer skin into the internal structures. The outer skin is known as the epidermis, the layer inside that is known as the dermis, and inside that is the subcutaneous tissue.

Superficial burns are roughly equivalent to what were formerly termed first-degree burns. This involves a burn only to the outer layer of skin (epidermis). This type of burn may cause tingling, pain, hyperesthesia, redness, possible minimal swelling, possible blanching with pressure, and possible peeling of the skin from the burned area. It normally takes one week to heal.

Partial thickness burns are roughly equivalent to what were formerly known as second-degree burns. They involve the epidermis and varying depths of the dermis. The acute sequelae are pain, sensitivity to cold air, and hyperesthesia with blistering, mottling, and possible draining with resultant scarring. It normally takes two to three weeks to heal. Infections in a partial thickness wound can cause damage to the subcutaneous tissue and it may become a full thickness injury.

Full thickness burns are roughly equivalent to what were formerly known as third-degree burns.

They involve the full layers of the epidermis and dermis as well as varying depths of the subcutaneous tissues. The sequelae are pain with possible shock, hematuria, and hemolysis of the blood with charring, pale white, dry, broken skin with edema. Healing is entirely dependent upon the depth, involvement of surface area, and severity of the burn; scarring is a foregone conclusion.

What the Nurse Should Do To Prepare For a Deposition

After completion of this course the participant should be able to:

1. Verbalize knowledge of the deposition process

2. Describe the process needed in order to prepare for a deposition

3. Describe the deposition process and the legal implications of this procedure

4. Plan and implement a strategy on how to conduct oneself throughout a sworn deposition

Other Nursing Courses Available:

Other Categories of Health Care Courses

EMS & Firefighters   Alternative Medicine   HIPAA   JCAHO   

Legal Nurse Consultant  Nursing    Nutrition  

Operational    Pain Management

Psychology   Social Work   Specialty   Sports Health  

Environmental Courses

Environmental Management   Hazardous Materials  Health & Safety  

OSHA and EPA Compliance  Transportation and Shipping  Waste Management

Personal Enrichment Courses

Alternative Medicine  Hobbies and Interests  Leisure  Nutrition  Personal Development  Psychic Development  Test Prep  Writing Skills

Service and Hospitality Courses

Air Travel  Food and Beverage  S & H Management

Brought to you by Jacob Gan, PhD (Mich)