TRIAGE FUNDAMENTALS #10: CLINICAL COMPONENTS III - NURSING CONTACT HOURS

Course overview

This course in the Triage Fundamentals series explores chief complaints related to fever, seizures, syncope, and heat/cold emergencies. Although many of these initial presenting complaints may not seem to need emergency care, some of them are high-risk scenarios warranting prompt attention and further evaluation. Specific chief complaints direct the triage nurse¿s attention to a thought process derived from both knowledge and experience. The message of this course is to never underestimate the potential for a presentation to be more serious than it may first appear. Whether it is a state of early sepsis, heat cramps or near syncope, these patients can progress from one stage to another rapidly. The skill of trying to determine this potential for demise lies in the knowledge of the triage nurse.