Understanding Disorders of Consciousness: Opportunities for Critical Care Nurses

Activity Summary

Required reading for all learners: Implicit Bias impacts patient outcomes

Knowledge of encephalopathy, delirium, and coma is important for nurses who care for patients with Disorders of Consciousness (DOC). For improving patient outcomes, it is vital to perform standardized assessments and interventions that are consistent with the cue-response theory. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to provide a greater understanding of encephalopathy, delirium, and coma and to provide standardized assessments and nursing interventions for these DOCs.

Objectives

Describe differences in the disorders or consciousness
Identify key assessment components for disorders of consciousness
Examine potential nursing interventions for disorders of consciousness

Continuing Education Disclosure Statement

Successful Completion

Learners must attend/view/read the entire activity and complete the associated evaluation to be awarded the contact hours or CERP. No partial credit will be awarded.

Disclosure

This activity has been reviewed by the Nurse Planner. It has been determined that the material presented here shows no bias. No conflicts of interest have been identified for any individual with the ability to influence the content of this activity. Accreditation refers to recognition of continuing education only and does not imply AACN or ANCC approval or endorsement of any commercial products discussed or displayed in conjunction with this educational activity.

Accreditation

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's (ANCC's) Commission on Accreditation, ANCC Provider Number 0012. AACN has been approved as a provider of continuing education in nursing by the California State Board of Nursing (CBRN), California Provider number CEP 1036. This activity is approved for 1.00 contact hours.

AACN programming meets the standards for most states that require mandatory continuing education contact hours for license and/or certification renewal. AACN recommends consulting with your state board of nursing or credentialing organization before submitting CE to fulfill continuing education requirements.