Postgraduate Course: Maternal Critical Care (CRCA11012)
Course Outline
School | Deanery of Clinical Sciences |
College | College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine |
Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
Summary | The woman who is pregnant or recently pregnant may suffer critical illness or injury. There are specific challenges in the management of these patients. This course provides a thorough grounding in the medical, physiological, psychological, and cultural factors involved. Early identification and management of the high risk obstetric patient are highlighted.
Clinical patient management and decision making involves collaborative across-team working both in their immediate care and once the patient is within a critical care environment. These factors will all be examined in the context of the critically ill or injured pregnant or recently pregnant patient. |
Course description |
1) Academic Description
The critically ill or injured pregnant, or recently pregnant, patient is at risk of rapid and catastrophic deterioration. This course will build on earlier components of the Programme particularly the recognition, assessment and management of the critically ill or injured adult, and the application of multiple organ support. The special clinical considerations regarding physiology, pharmacology, pregnancy-related diseases and co-existing morbidities will be emphasised. The complexities of clinical decision making and the interactions of members of the inter-professional and multidisciplinary team will be covered.
2) Outline content
In this course the recognition, assessment and management of the critically ill or injured pregnant or recently pregnant patient will be explored and defined. The recognition of the high-risk obstetric patient will be highlighted. An understanding of normal pregnancy, fetal development, and delivery, and the place of monitoring of maternal and in-utero fetal well-being during pregnancy and critical illness
will be explored.
Understanding of the interaction of pre-existing conditions and pregnancy will be fostered.
The physiological, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic considerations associated with pregnancy will be delineated.
Detailed knowledge of cardiac arrest in the pregnant or recently pregnant patient will be included.
The course will lead to an understanding of the pathophysiology of pregnancy-related illnesses including obstetric haemorrhage, sepsis and hypertensive illnesses in pregnancy including pre-eclampsia.
The critical care management of the ventilated pregnant patient will be covered in detail.
The complexity of interactions between members of the multi-disciplinary team, the ethical issues involved, and understanding of the complexity of delivery decision-making will be examined.
Understanding of the epidemiology of maternal critical care, including location of care, will be included.
3) Student Learning Experience
Students will learn from subject matter experts in critical care, anaesthetics obstetrics and midwifery.
There will be weekly formative self-assessment MCQs and patient case studies. The students will be able to participate in expert facilitated case-based group discussions.
Students will participate in asynchronous subject matter expert-led discussion boards, where they will develop the ability to identify and manage critically ill pregnant, or recently pregnant patients, in their own context. The place of Significant Event Analysis and National reporting systems on mortality and morbidity will be reviewed. The students will engage with recorded tutorials and lectures, and live online sessions. They will evidence their learning through the development and presentation of a guideline for delivering or transporting a critically ill patient.
They will also write a reflective essay on the challenges raised by the development and implementation of the guideline.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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Academic year 2023/24, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
Course Start |
Block 2 (Sem 1) |
Timetable |
Timetable |
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
98 )
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Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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Additional Information (Assessment) |
100% In Course Assessment |
Feedback |
Feedback is defined as information to students which allows them to review what they know, understand and can do in their studies. Feedback is also important to identify areas for improvement, for example course feedback surveys will be an integral component of the programme to allow refinement.
Opportunities for feedback arise during timetabled courses, for example during live session tutorials, interactive discussion boards, emails. Feedback can be provided on coursework assignments but also activities which are not formally assessed, for example class discussion on the discussion board, group exercises, problem-solving such as weekly quizzes and developing project plans and proposals. A formative task is provided in each course which provides feedforward prior to the student submitting their first piece of summative assessed course work.
All assignments will be marked and feedback is provided within a period of fifteen working days (where possible) following the submission date (excluding holidays periods whereby the University of closed, e.g. over the Christmas period). |
No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate and apply knowledge and understanding of maternal and fetal physiology, pathophysiology, and epidemiology, relevant to the pregnant or recently pregnant patient that is critically ill or injured
- Assimilate and apply complex clinical information and evidence for the purposes of effective recognition, assessment and management of the pregnant or recently pregnant critically ill or injured patient
- Apply critical analysis to best evidence where available to aid decision-making in the presence of uncertainty, recognising the value of multidisciplinary collaboration regardless of healthcare setting
- Recognise the multidisciplinary nature of management of pregnant or recently pregnant critically ill or injured patients and demonstrate an ability to collaborate within a multidisciplinary team
- Recognise the complex ethical issues in pregnant or recently pregnant critically ill or injured patient
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Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills |
a) Mindsets:
Enquiry and lifelong learning:
Graduates of this course will be encouraged to pursue their own curiosity and to learn and develop in the field of critical care, to strive for excellence in their own professional practice, and to strive to improve care for patients as part of a multidisciplinary team.
Aspiration and personal development
Students will be encouraged to draw on their own experiences to identify areas in which they wish to grow and develop acknowledging that different students will have different priorities and aspirations.
Outlook and engagement
Students will be asked to bring to the course experiences from their own practice, often specifically relating to their own geographical and cultural context, that can be used to explore learning, engage with individuals from other international communities on the programme.
b) Skills:
Research and enquiry
Students will use and further develop newly acquired expertise in accessing the literature and critical appraisal, to incorporate the findings of primary research in their arguments, discussions, and assessments.
Personal and intellectual autonomy
Students will be encouraged to use their own personal and intellectual autonomy through their active participation in self-directed learning, discussion boards and collaborative activities to critically evaluate ideas evidence and experiences from an open-minded perspective.
Personal effectiveness
Success on the course will require students to be effective and proactive learners. Using the resources of the course tutors, and the university learning and information environment, students will be encouraged and supported to contribute to their own learning, as well as that of others.
Communication
Excellence in critical care is dependent on excellent communication, and the structure of the interactive (discussion boards and collaborative activities) and assessment elements incorporate constant reinforcement and development of this skill. |
Keywords | Pregnant,immediate post-partum period,MBBRACE,GPICS,preeclampsia,eclampsia,obstetric maternal |
Contacts
Course organiser | Dr Arlene Wise
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Kimberley Jamieson
Tel:
Email: |
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