TRIAGE FUNDAMENTALS #11: CLINICAL COMPONENTS IV - NURSING CONTACT HOURS

Course overview

The focal points of this final course in the Triage Fundamentals series are inhalant abuse, toxicities, and changes in behavior, which share a common theme: they frequently involve a mental health concern. The way people cope with daily as well as unexpected life events has shifted in our society. Increased demands and expectations, personal needs, and unrealistic ideas of fulfillment drive many to seek escape through substance use. For others, emotional crisis erupts when there is a lack of access to care for underlying or undiagnosed mental health concerns. Triage nurses have no control over the choices patients make in coping with the world in which they live and exist; however, they can increase their knowledge base to better grasp the importance their role plays in rapidly identifying choices patients make that may place them in immediate harm.