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University College London

Road to Recovery: Mastering Postoperative Care of the High-Risk Patient

University College London via FutureLearn

Overview

Support high-risk patients on their road to recovery by mastering post-op care

Despite today’s advancements in healthcare, all patients are at risk of postoperative complications.

Perioperative medicine stands at the forefront of addressing this challenge, offering a multidisciplinary approach to bettering the care of high-risk surgical patients. It spans a wide range of disciplines, including anaesthetics, surgery, nursing, geriatric care, and healthcare management.

By the end of this eight-week course, developed by UCL’s Multi-disciplinary Perioperative Medicine team and accredited by the Royal College of Nurses, you’ll gain both foundational and specialised knowledge of the post operative care unit (POCU), helping to better the lives of your patients and their communities.

Discover the essentials of POCU

You’ll start by gaining a solid introduction to POCU and how compassionate, holistic care aligns with modern perioperative medicine principles.

Next, you’ll learn how to care for high-risk patients recovering after surgery to help you gain specialist knowledge of enhanced perioperative care.

Optimise patient care by exploring the specifics of postoperative recovery

On week two, you’ll assess and gain knowledge in the management of a patient’s breathing and cardiovascular systems to enhance their postoperative recoverys.

You’ll obtain an early understanding of the needs of the elderly patient undergoing surgery and learn the importance of managing a patient’s pain at every opportunity.

Generate positive patient experiences by understanding postop practices for various surgical specialities

Finally, you’ll explore diverse surgical specialities in POCU, including thoracic, gastrointestinal, vascular, and neurosurgery.

You’ll finish this course from University College in London with insights into working in POCU and a summary of the course sections.

This course is designed for healthcare professionals. If you’re interested in enhancing your care of high-risk surgical patients or are seeking specialised knowledge in perioperative care, this course is for you.

Syllabus

  • Introduction to the POCU and the high-risk surgical patient
    • Introduction
    • Postoperative care - what is in a name?
    • High-risk surgery and the POCU patient
    • Improving patient outcomes
    • Enhanced Care - where does this fit in?
    • Summary of week 1
  • The frail postoperative patient
    • The ageing POCU patient
    • What is frailty?
    • Delirium vs dementia?
    • Postoperative delirium
    • Postoperative nutrition
    • Summary
  • Anaesthesia and the postoperative airway
    • Introduction to the airway in POCU
    • Anaesthesia and the airway
    • Assessment of the obstructed airway
    • Anaesthesia and breathing
    • Summary
  • Circulation on POCU
    • Introduction to the cardiovascular system in POCU
    • Perioperative cardiovascular physiology
    • Cardiovascular complications
    • Cardiovascular assessment
    • Summary
  • Pain management
    • Introduction to pain in the POCU
    • What is pain?
    • Managing pain in POCU
    • Introduction to Regional Anaesthesia
    • Summary
  • Surgical specialities 1
    • Introduction to the surgical specialities
    • Thoracic surgery
    • Upper GI Surgery
    • Liver surgery
    • Colorectal surgery
    • Urology surgery
    • Gynaecology surgery and anaemia
    • Summary
  • Surgical specialities 2
    • ENT/Maxillofacial
    • Neurosurgery
    • Endocrine surgery
    • Vascular surgery
    • Orthopaedic surgery
    • Obstetrics
    • Summary
  • Working in POCU
    • Introduction to working in POCU
    • Documentation in POCU
    • Bedside care
    • Medication Administration
    • The POCU Environment
    • Emergencies in POCU
    • Transfer of the unwell patient
    • Summary

Taught by

UCL FutureLearn

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