Deteriorating Patient

Recognising and Responding to the Deteriorating Patient

Please note there is a new version of the course.

View 2025 CPD Courses

The course is an accredited learning activity for 7.5 hours for medical and nursing continuing professional development.

 For GPs the course is an accredited CPD activity for the 2023-2025 triennium with ACRRM (Course Code: 32894: 2.5 Educational Activity and 5 Reviewing Performance Hours) and RACGP (Course Code: 799960: 2.5 Educational Activity and 5 Reviewing Performance Hours).

Latest Course update : January 2024

Designed for medical officers, nurses, paramedics and students in all medical fields.

How we approach the assessment and management of the patient with deterioration may significantly determine their chances of survival, risk for complications and long term disability. In this topic we look at the clinical findings that signal clinical deterioration and developing threats to the life of the individual and then explore the critical thinking required to assess and intervene in these patients.

This course explores the following topics :

• 1. Systems for recognising clinical deterioration

• 2. Communication and handover of clinical Information

• 3. Procedure for assessing the patient with deterioration

• 4. Recognising immediate threats to the airway, breathing, circulation and CNS

• 5. Resuscitation of the deteriorating patient with life threatening illness

• 6. The role of critical thinking in diagnosis of the deteriorating patient