Elements and Performance Criteria
- Elements define the essential outcomes
- Identify impact of acute health problems on a person, family or carer.
- Identify actual and potential health issues of the person presenting with an acute health problem using information from a preliminary health assessment and in discussion with relevant interdisciplinary health care team members.
- Explain to the person, family or carer the potential physical and psychological impacts of acute health problems on daily living activities.
- Identify the pathophysiology of the person’s underlying or presenting condition, and confirm with the person, family or carer.
- Contribute to planning care for a person with acute health problems.
- Perform nursing interventions to support health care of a person with acute health problems.
- Assist in providing care for the person with a compromised airway including clearing of airways and interpreting health status using monitoring devices.
- Provide care to the person requiring nutrition administered through a feeding tube or intravenous line.
- Use critical thinking and problem-solving approaches in prioritising and modifying nursing interventions to reflect changes in the person’s condition.
- Contribute to the person’s understanding of health care provided to assist them to regain optimal function through nursing interventions and health education.
- Observe the person to identify any psychological support and care required due to the impact of acute health problems.
- Ensure nursing interventions for pre- and post-procedure care for the person are in accordance with organisation policy and procedures.
- Contribute to pre- and post-operative nursing care of a person.
- Contribute to pre-operative nursing management of the person for specific surgical procedures.
- Ensure pre-operative care takes into account the relationship between pre-operative care and post-operative complications.
- Contribute to post-anaesthetic observation of the person following surgery including identifying deterioration when the person is not regaining consciousness.
- Assist the person recovering from a range of anaesthesia to regain optimal health status, and take appropriate actions to reduce risks associated with immobility.
- Promote the person’s post-operative comfort using pain management strategies and nursing care actions.
- Contribute to an emergency response in the acute care environment.
- Identify and confirm the roles and responsibilities of members of the emergency response team.
- Prepare and check emergency equipment.
- Identify emergency situations and respond to first aid requests from emergency response team, including accessing and preparing drugs used during advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation.