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Follow the links below to find material targeted to the unit's elements, performance criteria, required skills and knowledge

Elements and Performance Criteria

  1. Elements define the essential outcomes
  2. Work in the hyperbaric environment
  3. Contribute to holistic and specific assessment for hyperbaric treatment
  4. Perform nursing interventions in the hyperbaric environment

Performance Evidence

The candidate must show evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and manage contingencies in the context of the job role. There must be evidence that the candidate has:

undertaken nursing work in accordance with Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia professional practice standards, codes and guidelines

performed nursing interventions for 3 different people undergoing a session of hyperbaric therapy in the workplace.


Knowledge Evidence

The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and manage contingencies in the context of the work role. This includes knowledge of:

applicable Australian Standards for work in compressed air and hyperbaric oxygen facilities

basic structure and internal layout of a hyperbaric chamber

common dive tables for hyperbaric treatment and their indications

common treatment profiles for hyperbaric therapy and their indications

conditions indicated and contraindicated for hyperbaric therapy treatment and the mechanisms of therapeutic benefit for each

educational resources and professional organisations associated with hyperbaric therapy

emergencies associated with the hyperbaric chamber and treatment including:

fire inside the chamber

fire outside the chamber

emergency decompression

explosive decompression

uncontrolled compression

power failure

communication failure

chamber atmospheric contamination

isolation emergency including actual or potential violence

pneumothorax

cardiac arrest and airway management

hypoglycaemia

oxygen toxicity (central nervous system and pulmonary)

hyperbaric chamber treatment including:

the chamber and sequence of events that occur during a treatment

how to observe air equalisation techniques

strategies for managing an anxious patient during hyperbaric treatment

prohibited items in the chamber

appropriate clothing for treatments

potential complications

location of main oxygen valve and how to shut it off when required

how to maintain hyperbaric chamber cleanliness

emergency procedures for fire and medical emergencies

symptoms of hyperbaric CNS toxicity and appropriate actions in response to the symptoms

indications for hyperbaric therapy including:

decompression sickness

carbon monoxide poisoning

smoke inhalation

osteoradionecrosis

selected wound healing

mixed non aerobic and aerobicinfections

air or gas embolism

osteomyelitis (refractory)

gas gangrene (clostridial myonecrosis)

soft tissue radionecrosis

crush injuries/compartment syndromes

compromised skin grafts/flaps

thermal burns

blood loss

some spider bites

legislative requirements for practice

potential complications of hyperbaric therapy including:

cardiac arrest and airway management

hypoglycaemia

oxygen toxicity (central nervous system and pulmonary)

isolation emergency including actual or potential violence

pneumothorax

claustrophobia

sinus or dental barotrauma

lung barotrauma

physiological effects of increased atmospheric pressure on the human body and of breathing 100 per cent oxygen (hyper oxygenation), helium or mixed gases under hyperbaric conditions

rationale for annual staff hyperbaric medicals

contraindications for hyperbaric therapy including:

pulmonary function tests

tissue perfusion tests

excessive alcohol intake

dehydration

asthma

anxiety states or claustrophobia

dental work in the previous 24 hours

strenuous exercise before (and after) therapy

flying within 24 hours of treatment (staff and water divers only)

anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology related to hyperbaric issues, sufficiently in-depth and specialised to make considered judgements and to make professional contributions to hyperbaric nursing care

specific procedures for identifying people with diabetes and others who have a pre-procedure blood sugar outside normal range

special considerations for children, infants and babies

theories of physics as they relate to hyperbaric treatments including:

Boyle’s law

Charles’s law

Henry’s law

Dalton’s law.