Do you want to register to take Nursing Home Assistant CEs?
This program has been approved for Continuing Education for total participant hours by NAB/NCERS—Approval
hour for Florida)
Course Summary
When using heat or cold therapy it is important to understand safe and effective application to prevent further injury to the patient. To accomplish this, it’s important to first understand how and why these therapies work. Information about how the body conserves and loses heat, physical injury, and healing is an important step in this process. Uses of heat or cold are generally safe and simple techniques but heat or cold therapies may involve more complicated medical issues. One to consider is diabetic patients with decreased blood flow and decreased sensation to extremities. If a patient is unable to detect heat and cold on their skin special care and attention are important. Complications of heat and cold therapy are best considered by a specially trained health clinician who can recommend, prepare special equipment, and who can provide the training for its safe and appropriate use.
After completing this inservice, the learner will be able to:
- Explain how the body controls heat loss and heat conservation
- Identify the different therapeutic applications of heat and cold
- Describe how to identify patients who need careful monitoring during heat or cold therapy
Course Syllabus
- Introduction
- Basic Principles of Heat and Cold Therapy
- Body Temperature
- Injury and Healing
- Safe Use of Heat and Cold Therapies
- Types of Heat and Cold Therapies
- Heat Therapy
- Cold Therapy