Critical Thinking in Cardiac Assessment

Contact Hours: 3.5
Cost: $35.00

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For a complete list of accreditations for this course, please see the accreditation information box below the author’s bio.  All states  recognize our courses for accredited continuing nursing education, CNE, contact hours.

Cardiac disease is so prevalent in our times that a nurse, in almost every care setting, will encounter patients with some degree of its manifestation. Coexistent types of cardiac pathophysiology and varied severity in symptomatology can make assessment difficult for the nurse. However, the ability to recognize symptoms, assess their severity, and determine when the patient status is changing is essential to prevent poor outcomes and frequent hospital readmissions. They are also instrumental in promoting and maintaining quality of life. These actions are the responsibility of the nurse and expected within the scope of practice.

Honing assessment skills aids in recognition of both subtle and overt symptoms and behaviors which may indicate patient compromise. Although this is primarily a continuing education course for nurses caring for patients with cardiac disease in the non-acute setting, it will also be beneficial to any nurse needing to strengthen skills and knowledge in this area of practice. The course begins with a review of cardiac anatomy, assessments, disorders, and chronic symptomatology which are then linked with assessments focused on changes in status requiring intervention. Many tools will be utilized to maximize the learning and comprehension of cardiac assessment for nurses.

 A LinkIt© course

A Linkit© Course
A LinkIt© course uses reviews that aid in making associations between nursing knowledge and actions. When you see this symbol, associate the content with either prior learning or something new you learned in the course so that you are able to comprehend and begin to apply what has been learned. This is critical thinking and will allow for more meaningful learning.

©PatSchmehl 2013 

Objectives

1. Define commonly used anatomical terms and landmarks related to the cardiac system.
2. Discuss the cardiac blood flow pathway as it relates to oxygenation and perfusion. 
3. Identify the four cardiac components and examples of disease or dysfunction affecting each one. 
4. Explain the types of assessment methods used in cardiac disease states. 
5. Discuss and recognize the importance of assessing laboratory and diagnostic test results as part of the cardiac assessment. 
6. Identify methods of accurate reporting of cardiac disease related symptomatology. 
7. Create critical thinking templates for knowledge application in caring for a patient with cardiac disease/dysfunction.

Curriculum

• Anatomical structures and terminology 
• Landmarks 
• Components of the heart involved in assessment

• Oxygenation
• Perfusion 
• Heart structures and blood flow
• The cardiac cycle

• Assessment findings related to cardiac vascular disease and dysfunction
• Assessment findings related to cardiac valvular disease and dysfunction
• Assessment findings related to cardiac muscle disease and dysfunction
• Assessment findings related to cardiac electrical system disease and dysfunction

• Comparing local and systemic components of the cardiac focused assessment
• Assessment methods used in disease and dysfunction by cardiac component 
• Collecting subjective and objective information
• Understanding and interpreting patient reporting of subjective information

• Laboratory testing specific to each cardiac component disease/dysfunction 
• Diagnostic testing specific to each cardiac component disease/dysfunction

• Nursing action goals
• Use of the nursing process to define and achieve goals
• Methods for detailed reporting in collaborative care
  • Assessing complaints and findings using OPQRST
  • SBAR communication
  • Employing INTERACT tools