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Care of the COVID-19 Patient

Introduction

COVID patients can deteriorate at a rapid pace and require a skilled practitioner to monitor for signs of deterioration and intervene appropriately. The following section has been reproduced with permission from the Intermediate Care Unit Course (IMCU) that is delivered within the Central Zone as well as the Critical Care Nursing Program at Nova Scotia Health Learning Institute for Health Care Providers. Once you have completed this section, please be sure to complete the learning needs assessment found in the Educational Plan.

The Internet Book of Critical Care can be used as a reference for this section. Although it is meant for physicians, the concepts transpire.

 

Following completion of this section, you will be able to:

  1. Apply foundational critical care nursing knowledge into a COVID patient ICU admission.
  2. Understand foundational Critical Care knowledge and skill of caring for patient with respiratory compromise.
  3. Understand foundational Critical Care knowledge and skill of caring for patient with cardiovascular compromise and hemodynamic instability.

Please note: this section builds on foundation concepts learned in your nursing practice and COVID concepts above. As this material is more complex, there will be a need to review with your CNE and or preceptor to ensure you have translated this knowledge and skill into practice.

High Acuity Patient Physical Assessment

As a patient care intervention increase and the complexity of interventions increase, the practitioner must be skilled in recognizing, assessing, and intervening appropriately. Please watch the following video on how to perform an ICU/IMCU physical assessment:

Coronavirus: clinical assessment of a patient in ICU

Barts Health NHS Trust, 2020.

COVID-19 Free Resource Courses