Medical Complications in Post-Acute Care:
Introduction & Infection Management

Presented by Cheryl Lehman

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Video Runtime: 31 Minutes

This course gives participants an overview of medical complications that can occur in the post-acute care setting, focusing on the role of the nurse and infection prevention. With patient acuity changing in this setting, patients with the potential for medical complications are more likely to be admitted. Examples of medical complications will be shared, along with clinical pearls on focusing assessment and interventions on early detection and prevention activities. This course is appropriate for licensed nurses working in any setting, but particularly targets those in rehabilitation, long term care and home health.

This course is a part of a series discussing medical complications in complex patients, including the following topics:

Introduction & Infection Management | Pulmonary and Cardiac | Diabetes | Fluids and Acid/Base Balance | Endocrine and Shock

Meet your instructor

Cheryl Lehman

Dr. Cheryl Lehman has been a registered nurse since graduating from the Decatur Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in 1978. Since that time, she earned a BSN from Maryville University-St. Louis in 1990; an MSN in Adult Health Nursing from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston in the Clinical Nurse…

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Chapters & learning objectives

Introduction and the Role of the Nurse

1. Introduction and the Role of the Nurse

Post-acute care nurses need to recognize the types of medical complications that may occur in their setting with their specific patient populations. Medical complications that occur in post-acute care have the potential to lead to patient deterioration and readmission to acute care, or even death. Nurses have the responsibility of recognizing the potential for medical complications, preventing their occurrence, and protecting patients from harm. This chapter reviews the frequency of specific medical complications including infection, myocardial infarction and pulmonary complications from published research on the most frequent causes of readmission to acute care.

Infection

2. Infection

Infection is a common complication in the patient in the post-acute care setting. Early recognition of infection can be complicated by nursing schedules and workloads, patient acuity, and other stressors encountered during a typical daily shift. This chapter reviews prevention of infection, as well as early and late signs for which to monitor.