Advances in technology and medicine mean that increasing numbers of severely ill patients are surviving with a corresponding need for intensive nursing care. Critically ill patients are often managed in an intensive care unit within a hospital where sophisticated equipment is available to enable frequent monitoring of vital signs, assisted ventilation and, when life-threatening crises occur, and rapid resuscitation measures. This course focuses on the causes of single and multi-organ system dysfunction and the human responses to life threatening illness. Nursing care focused on restoring physiologic and psychological stability to the severely ill client will be explored. Core concepts of complex pathophysiology, current treatment modalities, and the role nurses perform when providing care to critically ill patients are discussed.
