NTI Recorded Session NTI25375

Enhancing Patient Care: Adapting a Tool to Articulate Acuity and Complexity in the ICU

Author(s): Sharon L Hickin, MN, RN, CACCN(c); Heather Hudniuk, RN, BScN

Contact Hours 1.00

CERP C 1.00

Expires Dec 31, 2027

Topics: Staffing, Beacon

Population: Not Applicable (non-clinical topics)

Role: Staff

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Fees
Member: Free
NonMember: $10.00
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Activity Summary

ICU teams are becoming accustomed to the pressure of providing care with limited human resources. Easily identifying and communicating which patients are more acute and complex can help unit leaders align nursing and allied health resources with patient care needs. In this session, we introduce learners to an adaptation of an existing synergy-based tool to calculate a patient’s acuity level and flag components of care required to meet patient needs during a shift and demonstrate how this information can be used to build a unit profile to advocate for appropriate resources.

Objectives

  • Identify and summarize the difference between acuity and complexity when establishing patient care needs.
  • Describe the adaptations of an existing tool to calculate a patient’s acuity level and complexity needs.
  • Explain how the adapted acuity-complexity tool standardizes ICU communication, articulates unit status and informs resource allocation.

Continuing Education Disclosure Statement

Criteria for Awarding Contact Hours

Learners must complete the entire activity and the associated evaluation AND read Implicit Bias impacts patient outcomes. No partial credit will be awarded.

Accreditation

American Association of Critical-Care Nurses is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider number CEP 1036, for {contactHours} contact hours.

Disclosures

The Nurse Planner has determined that no individuals with the ability to control content of this activity have relevant relationships with ineligible companies.

Activities with pharmacotherapeutic credit are to assist the APRN in fulfilling their education requirements for licensure and certification renewals.

Refund Policy

Continuing Education Activities are nonrefundable.