Communicating Condition Change in Long-Term Care Patients

This 2-hour CE course is designed for nursing professionals working in long-term care settings, including skilled nursing, assisted living, and rehabilitation facilities. It focuses on the timely identification and accurate communication of changes in a resident’s physical, cognitive, or behavioral condition to ensure appropriate clinical response and continuity of care.

Participants will learn how to recognize early warning signs of patient deterioration, including subtle or acute shifts in vital signs, mental status, functional ability, and overall health. The course emphasizes the use of structured communication methods such as SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation), and the importance of inter-professional collaboration in care escalation.

Key topics include regulatory and documentation requirements, appropriate timing and method of family notification, and strategies for overcoming communication barriers. The course also explores the legal and ethical responsibilities involved in reporting condition changes and ensuring that updates are properly documented and conveyed within the care team.

Learning Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Recognize clinical indicators of status change in long-term care patients.
• Apply structured communication tools to report clinical findings.
• Understand regulatory and documentation standards related to condition changes.
• Collaborate effectively with healthcare teams and family members.
• Identify legal and ethical responsibilities in the communication process.
• Contribute to the prevention of adverse outcomes through timely reporting.

Course Completion Requirements:

To earn 2 CE Credit Hour, participants must:

• Be registered for this course.
• Review all course materials.
• Complete the post-test with a score of 70% or higher.
• Submit the course evaluation survey.

Note: Some courses may include additional requirements, such as participation in discussion boards or completion of practice exercises.

Important Disclosures:

• Conflict of Interest: The course planners, authors, and presenters have no financial or commercial conflicts of interest related to this educational activity.
• Commercial Support: This course has not received any sponsorship or financial support from commercial entities.
• Non-Endorsement: Approval of this course as a continuing education activity does not imply endorsement of any products, services, or companies mentioned within the content.
• Off-Label Product Use: No information related to off-label use of FDA-approved products is included in this course.