Course Overview

How confident do you feel conducting an infant health assessment? This Ausmed Course provides a practical and easy-to-follow resource for identifying and managing the warning signs of serious illness and deterioration in infants.

Topics

• Preparing for an infant assessment
• Components of an infant assessment
• Post-assessment procedures
• Case studies

Need

Infancy is a critical period of rapid growth. Serious illnesses that occur during this time can impact long-term developmental and health outcomes. Many healthcare providers do not specialise in the care of infants and may not recognise serious illness or deterioration. It is vital that the warning signs of serious illness are recognised early and managed promptly.

Purpose

The purpose of this course is to provide a practical and easy-to-follow resource to help nurses, midwives, and other healthcare professionals to carry out infant assessments, and manage their findings accordingly.

Learning Outcomes

• Recognise the signs of serious illness in infants.
• Understand the principles of infant health assessment.
• Assess the likelihood of serious illness following an infant health assessment.
• Apply knowledge to decide the level of care needed and prioritise urgency in practice.
• Educate and support parents and carers about how to advocate for their infant.

Target Audience

The target audience for this course is maternal and child health nurses, midwives, paramedics and other healthcare professionals who wish to refresh their knowledge or learn about assessing infants and prioritising care based on their findings.

Disclosure

No conflict of interest exists for anyone in the position to control content for this activity. Wherever possible, generic or non-proprietary names of medications or products have been used.

Educators

Presented by

Stephanie Dowden View profile

Stephanie Dowden is a Nurse Practitioner in independent practice. She has worked in paediatric healthcare for over 25 years in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Her business, NursePrac Australia, provides health service consulting, health education and a nurse-practitioner-led clinic, Just Kids Health, for babies to teens. In 2021, Stephanie was the Australian College of Nurse Practitioners Mentor of the Year.

Peer reviewed by

Leanne Boase View profile