NARCAID ECODA UNIT SUPPLEMENTARY MODULAR TRAINING PROGRAMME
Information for specialist course graduates only
INTRODUCTION
The Narcaid ECODA Unit is pleased to announce the launch of its new supplementary modular training programme. The programme is designed to expand upon the skills and knowledge acquired in the generic and specialist training programmes and to introduce students to priorities of care. It has been designed in response to popular demand by course graduates for further training.
The primary difference between this course and the existing programme is the move beyond drug awareness and into the exploration of care skills. One module is devoted to exploring the care priorities involved in the pre-hospital management of overdose/poisoning. The module merges accepted protocols (such as version 3.0 of JRCALC’s Clinical Practice Guidelines) with specialised insight into this area of care given by Narcaid’s research and teaching experience. For the first time, the implications of a detailed drug knowledge on clinical practice is explored.
The care module is followed by an in-depth analysis of two substances identified by our research as increasingly presenting pre-hospital. These are lithium salts and cannabis. Each is a detailed, professionally reviewed, up-to-date analysis of the substance using real life case study and is designed to consolidate care principles when applied to both pharmaceuticals and illicits.
For specialist programme graduates, the supplementary programme is designed for maximum flexibility. The three modules are short courses in their own right and can be taken individually or together. Each is a Royal College of Nursing Approved Professional Course. Each leads to both Narcaid and RCN certification, making it suitable for continuing professional development. There are a number of financial options, including a discount for undertaking the full programme.
There is also the option to include or omit case study evaluation as part of the assessment process. All modes of study are inclusive of full e-tutor support and use of the information service to extend a student’s individual knowledge.
FUNDAMENTALS OF THE PRE-HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT OF OVERDOSE/POISONING
The course ‘Fundamentals of the Pre-Hospital Management of Overdose/Poisoning’ is available as a short course for any student, regardless of previous study. It may be taken following drug awareness study, to consolidate theoretical understanding into a clinical context. However, it also works well as a first (or only) course, encapsulating care principles in the drug related emergency.
This short course is an excellent introduction to the drug related incident, one of the most rapidly growing and increasingly demanding emergency presentations. It utilizes contemporary data and real-life case study to give the student a basic ‘skills toolkit’, facilitating confident and effective management.
AIMS
To equip those dealing with drug related emergencies with a fundamental knowledge of the care priorities involved in the pre-hospital management of overdose/poisoning.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
On completion of this Study Unit you will be able to:
- Define a ‘Drug Related Incident’ (DRI), a ‘poison’, an ‘overdose’, and list the different types of overdose.
- Outline the aims and content of a good DRI history and discuss the most effective ways of identifying pharmaceuticals.
- Explain the common challenges to taking a good DRI history and describe the best ways to facilitate accuracy and cooperation.
- Outline the principles of assessment and describe on scene management and its rationale.
- Define and discuss the rationale behind effective management of the patient en route with regards to airway management and ventilation, including Narcan administration.
- Identify and explain appropriate action with regard to ‘time critical’ features such as those related to circulation, blood glucose level and body temperature.
CANNABIS
The course ‘Cannabis’ is available as a short course for any student, regardless of previous study. It provides an excellent introduction to ECODA via a detailed, professionally reviewed exploration of the most commonly used illegal drug. The course includes latest thinking on issues such as cannabis related dependency and mental illness. The emphasis on physiological presentation in acute use and the inclusion of real-life case study makes the course ideal for those working in emergency care.
AIMS
To provide information related to cannabis, its nature, history and uses, to identify the forms and means by which it is taken and to examine its acute and long-term physical and psychological effects.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
On completion of this Study Unit you will be able to:
- Define cannabis and discuss its history and uses.
- Identify some common street names for cannabis and describe the three basic forms the drug can take, including their THC contents.
- List the three common modes of use and describe the materials involved, their respective effects on the user and their common street names.
- Describe the action of THC on the human body, including its half-lives and the process of elimination.
- List the main factors influencing the psychological effects of cannabis, describe its pleasant and unpleasant effects and the relationship between the drug and mental illness.
- Identify the physiological effects and medical dangers of the drug and possible interactions, as well as long-term use, including psychological health and the risk of dependence.
LITHIUM SALTS
The course ‘Lithium Salts’ is available as a short course for any student, regardless of previous study. It provides an excellent introduction to ECODA via a detailed, professionally reviewed exploration of one of the oldest medications still widely used to treat mental disturbance. The course includes extensive analysis of lithium overdose, both intentional and accidental, with an emphasis on clinical presentation at various serum (toxicity) levels. This makes the course particularly suitable for emergency personnel, and real-life (pre-hospital) case study is included in the materials.
AIMS
To provide information related to lithium salts, its nature and medicinal uses, and to identify signs and symptoms of lithium overdose (at various toxicity levels) and establish care priorities.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
On completion of this Study Unit you will be able to:
- Describe the nature, history and medicinal uses of lithium.
- Explain the constraints, health risks and care priorities for a person being prescribed lithium.
- Outline the forms lithium takes, its contra-indications and side effects at therapeutic doses.
- Define the nature and causes of an unintentional lithium overdose (or lithium intoxication) and describe measures which may reverse mild toxicity.
- Define and describe the presentation and associated medical dangers of an acute deliberate overdose, including that of severe toxicity.
- Discuss treatment options for serious lithium toxicity and explain the dangers of administering diuretics.
Download information about the supplementary course modules (257kb)
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The service offered by the Narcaid ECODA Unit is designed for professional ambulance personnel and other emergency care practitioners. Our training programmes are designed to teach drug awareness (rather than medical skills) to inform clinical judgment. Individual clinical judgment must be exercised in each presentation according to pre-existing training.
