Post-Op Home Care: Minimize Complications & Enhance Rehabilitation - Part 1
Presented by Dedee Culley
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Patients requiring surgical procedures may no longer remain in the hospital for any length of time for post-operative recovery. Many are sent home and require ongoing care. Home health nurses are positioned to care for these individuals. This course will address the most common types of post-op care encountered. This course covers assessment/observation skills required and which team members need to be involved, as well as instruction and activities utilized to best minimize complications and enhance rehabilitation. Part one of this two-part course describes the post-op patient population and provides strategies for managing pain and opioid concerns.
Proceed to Part 2 after completing this course.
Meet your instructor
Dedee Culley
Dedee Culley is a registered nurse with more than 19 years of experience, with the last 10 years being specifically in the home health and hospice areas. She has been a field nurse, case manager, educator, and director of operations in agencies. She has also served as a clinical expert analyst for a software vendor, designing…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Identifying Our Post-Operative Patient Population
Because many patients no longer remain hospitalized post-op, it is critical that home health nurses are prepared to receive, assess, and educate both the patient and the family/caregiver. This chapter will explore the most common population of post-operative patients seen in home health and their risks. We will also identify the most common types of surgeries/procedures necessitating post-op care in home health. Applying this knowledge enables nurses to best prepare for this patient population to have the greatest rehabilitation potential.
2. How to Combat the Opioid and Related Pain Management Concerns During Post-operative Care
There is no doubt we are encountering an opioid epidemic never seen before in the United States. As home health nurses, we must be diligent to ensure our patient's safety, and this includes aspects of pain control. This chapter will explore the statistical facts about opioid use/misuse and alternative pain control.
3. Assessments/Observations for Post-Operative Care
Standard assessments/observations may not be enough when administering care to a post-operative patient at home. There is strong evidence-based research and best practices for specific assessments/observations at various time points during recovery. This chapter will explain how these assessments/observations can be executed by the home health nurse to ensure the best care and rehabilitation potential for their patient.
