Hepatitis: A Life Changing Disease- 4CH

Course overview

Target Audience: The target audience for this education program is nurses who want to improve their knowledge of the various forms of hepatitis and enhance their ability to provide safe and effective nursing care for patients who have the disease. Course Overview: Hepatitis is a general term that refers to inflammation of the liver. Causes are both infectious (e.g. viral, bacterial) and noninfectious (e.g. alcohol, drugs, autoimmune diseases). The incidence and prevalence of the disease, as well as the potential for serious consequences in some cases, makes it imperative that nurses have the knowledge to recognize and facilitate treatment for those patients affected by the various forms of hepatitis. They must also work to prevent the spread and occurrence of hepatitis. This education program provides information to help nurses enhance their nursing skills when caring for patients for patients who already have hepatitis, as well as for patients at risk for developing it. Learning Objectives: 1. Describe the anatomy and physiology of the liver. 2. Describe the different forms of viral hepatitis. 3. Discuss the incidence and prevalence of the different forms of viral hepatitis. 4. Discuss the pathophysiology of hepatitis. 5. Explain the stages of viral hepatitis as they relate to clinical manifestations. 6. Describe the process of diagnosing viral hepatitis. 7. Explain treatment strategies for viral hepatitis. 8. Discuss important nursing considerations when caring for patients infected by hepatitis. 9. Describe the pathology of non-viral hepatitis. 10. Discuss the treatment of non-viral hepatitis.