PEDIATRIC SEPSIS

Course overview

Nurses are an integral part of the emergency department healthcare team. The role of the ED nurse is to identify the often subtle signs and symptoms in the acutely ill or injured pediatric patient upon presentation to the ED. This course will discuss identification, care and management, and current treatment modalities associated with fever and sepsis in the pediatric patient. Upon completion of this course, nurses will be able to: describe the pathophysiology of fever in the pediatric patient and associated therapeutic interventions across the spans of age in the pediatric population; identify early signs and symptoms commonly associated with the ill-appearing pediatric patient; discuss common physical findings found in pediatric septic patients; describe common goal-directed targeted interventions in the care and management of sepsis; and discuss therapeutic end-organ outcomes that are associated with improved patient outcomes.