Recent NICE guidance and restructuring of the way acute services are provided mean that nurses outside the traditional critical care environment are increasingly being called upon to recognize, assess, and treat the acutely ill patient. This book will equip nurses in more general wards with the knowledge and skills to care appropriately for the deteriorating patient in the clinical environment. It follows a systems-based approach, with each chapter incorporating learning outcomes, anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, nursing management, and competence-based skills assessment. Case studies facilitate the linking of knowledge to practice. Other issues covered include an exploration of why there is a need to develop acute care, the role of outreach, acute emergency situations, transfer of the acutely ill patient, caring for the post ITU patient, documentation in acute care, and continuing education and acute care delivery. The book is aimed at nurses who work in acute and high-dependency areas, as well as more general nurses who are increasingly dealing with the critically or acutely ill patient.

Author Biography

Fiona Creed, RN, BSc, MSc, trained at Guys Hospital London and has 15 years nursing experience in general and neurosurgical critical care settings. Fiona is currently Senior Lecturer at the University of Brighton where she runs the Care of the Acutely Ill Adult module and is Lead Lecturer for the Acute Care Pathway. Fiona is currently undertaking postgraduate research focusing on clinical decision-making in acutely ill patients. Chrissie Spiers, RN, RNT, BSc (Hons), PGDip (Health Promotion), MSc (Cardiology), trained at King's College Hospital in London and has 30 years experience in cardiology and cardiac surgery settings. Chrissie has been a lecturer for more than 15 years and remains passionate about teaching cardiology to a variety of health care professionals. She is Course Leader for the BSc (Hons) Acute Clinical Practice and Lead Lecturer for the Cardiology pathway within this degree. Chrissie maintains regular contact with cardiac wards at NHS Trusts in Surrey and Sussex. She publishes regularly and is a journal reviewer for a number of peer reviewed journals.