Assessment and treatment of acutely ill patients safely requires integrating the patient history with current lab values, diagnostic test results, and an understanding of how their current medications affect status. Therapists need to identify signs of patient instability and know how to modify or to terminate treatment when necessary and how to mobilize them safely and early. This course provides therapists with that knowledge with a goal of preventing or reversing the deconditioning often seen in the acute care and ICU setting. Case studies will be used for clinical problem solving in order to improve functional outcomes with multiple diagnoses commonly seen.

By the conclusion of the course, participants will be able to integrate knowledge gained with current experience in order to make clinical decisions for best practices in examination, evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis and plan of care for acute care and ICU patients:

considering the physiologic implications of:
lines & tubes
supplemental oxygen delivery
mechanical ventilators
pharmacologics
analyzing patient cases (neurologic, cardiopulmonary, oncologic, orthopedic and post-surgical) using International Classification of Function and Disability (ICF) framework to determine appropriate plan of care and discharge
utilizing sound decision-making with complex clinical cases to determine safe mobility, appropriate progression, need for bed rest and likely outcomes
utilizing evidence-based practices to guide interventions
applying clinical reasoning and diagnostic screening to assess if there is a need for referral to other health care professionals