Product Detail

• Explain the U.S. legal system and the current wound litigation environment.
• Describe regulatory and legal principles of wound care.
• Examine the essentials of wound assessments and legally-defensible documentation.
• Analyze necessary communications to avoid wound issues and keep yourself out of court.
• Describe how to establish a wound program that is legally defensible.
• Evaluate high-risk wound care situations that are prone to litigation.

Introduction

• Basics of the U.S. legal system
• Why do people sue?
• Chronic wounds (especially pressure ulcers) – why are they such a hot topic?
• Negligence
• Definition of adverse events
• Standards of Care – where do we find them?
• The economic, professional, and personal impacts of litigation

Regulatory Issues and How They Affect Your Wound Care Practice

• Federal statutes and regulations
• Hospital Acquired Conditions and Never Events – can we really always avoid them?
• Those dreaded Department of Health and Joint Commission surveys
• Code of Federal Regulations – Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities
• State Practice Acts and practicing within your scope

Assessment Essentials

• Risk assessment
• Patient assessment
• Wound assessment
• Nutrition assessment
• Mobility assessment

Legally Defensible Documentation

• What MUST be in the record to effectively defend yourself and your institution
• The 5 Cs of effective documentation
• Pitfalls to avoid
• Electronic Health Records: a boon or a bust when it comes to wound documentation?

Communication Essentials

• With the patient
• With the family
• With the physician
• Multidisciplinary involvement and communication

Sticky Situations in Wound Care: Helpful Hints to Minimize Your Legal Risk

• Pain management - Avoiding a “Pain and suffering” allegation
• Nutritional allegations - Delay or failure to provide appropriate nutritional interventions
• Policies and procedures – can make or break your defense
• Staffing levels and competency
• Wound photography – pro’s and con’s and guidelines
• Malpractice insurance – is it necessary for nurses?

Issues with Select Types of Wounds

• Pressure ulcers – avoidable versus unavoidable
• Arterial ulcers
• Diabetic ulcers
• Know the etiology: dangers in failing to correctly diagnose and treat

You Make The Call

• Case studies and scenarios

Heidi Huddleston Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON® is a board-certified Wound and Ostomy Nurse and a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner. She has extensive experience caring for wound and ostomy patients in acute care and long-term care. Currently, Heidi is employed by a surgical group providing consultation for nursing homes and has her own independent practice as an expert witness for plaintiff and defense attorneys. She has contributed in numerous ways to her specialty, including serving as chair of the Wound Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board examination committee, co-chair of the Wound and Ostomy Nurses Society National Conference Planning Committee ostomy track, and peer review for the Journal of Wound Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN). Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Heidi Cross has an employment relationship with CNY Surgical Physicians. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Heidi Cross is a member of the Wound, Ostomy & Continence Nurses Society, the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care, the American Nurses Association, and the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel.

Save time and $10 off the price of other submission methods – purchase & take the CE test online for $9.99 USD per participant. Additional processing fees apply for other submission methods (i.e. mail, fax, etc.). Please contact our Customer Service at 1-800-844-8260 for more details.

Listed below are the continuing education credit(s) currently available for this non-interactive self-study package. Please note, your state licensing board dictates whether self study is an acceptable form of continuing education. Please refer to your state rules and regulations.

Certificates of Successful Completion are available for email, download and/or printing from your online account immediately following the successful completion of the post-test/evaluation.

**Materials that are included in this course may include interventions and modalities that are beyond the authorized practice of mental health professionals. As a licensed professional, you are responsible for reviewing the scope of practice, including activities that are defined in law as beyond the boundaries of practice in accordance with and in compliance with your professions standards.

All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners. For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.

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Nurses/Nurse Practitioners/Clinical Nurse Specialists - Credit Expired: 10/18/2022
No CE available for this board.

California Nurses: PESI, Inc. is a provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #:17118 for 6.0 self-study contact hours.

You will need to provide your license number to PESI. PESI must have this number on file in order for your hours to be valid.

Florida Nurses: PESI, Inc. is an approved provider by the Florida Board of Nursing. Provider #: FBN2858. These materials qualify for 6.0 self-study contact hours.

Iowa Nurses: PESI, Inc. is an approved provider by the Iowa Board of Nursing. Provider #: 346. Nurses successfully completing these self-study materials will earn 6.3 self-study contact hours.

Copies of the evaluation may be sent to the IBON. You will need to provide your license number to PESI. PESI must have this number on file in order for your hours to be valid.

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Physical Therapists & Physical Therapist Assistants
This self-study course consists of 6.25 clock hours of instruction that is applicable for physical therapists. CE requirements for physical therapists vary by state/jurisdiction. Please retain the certificate of completion that you receive and use as proof of completion when required.

California Physical Therapists & Physical Therapist Assistants: PESI, Inc. is recognized by the Physical Therapy Board of California as an approval agency to approve providers. This self-study lecture qualifies for 6.25 continuing competency hours.

Illinois Physical Therapists & Physical Therapist Assistants: PESI, Inc. is a Registered Physical Therapy Continuing Education Sponsor through the State of Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation. License #: 216.000270. This self-study course qualifies for 6.0 CE credit hours.

New York Physical Therapists & Physical Therapist Assistants: PESI, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department, State Board for Physical Therapy as an approved provider for physical therapy and physical therapy assistant continuing education. This self-study course qualifies for 7.6 contact hours.

Texas Physical Therapists & Physical Therapist Assistants: This self-study activity is provided by the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners Accredited Provider #2106032TX and meets continuing competence requirements for physical therapist and physical therapist assistant licensure renewal in Texas. This activity will provide 6.25 CCUs. The assignment of Texas PT CCUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by TPTA or TBPTE. Full attendance is required; no partial credits will be offered for partial attendance.

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Other Professions
This self-study activity qualifies for 6.25 clock hours of instructional content as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and professional organizations. Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.

Disclaimer: **Information obtained in this course should be used within your scope of practice.
**It is your ethical responsibility to report accurate hours to your licensing board.
**All self-study participants must complete and pass (80% or better) a post-test and evaluation prior to receiving a certificate of completion. If you require a copy of the test/evaluation for CE purposes, please print at the time you take the test. Or you may call our customer service department and a copy of your test/evaluation will be emailed to you. Please allow 30-45 days.

Nurses, Nursing Home Administrators, Physical Therapists/Physical Therapist Assistants, Physician Assistants and other Healthcare Professionals