COS can point you in the right direction
What chronic oedema solution does your organisation need?
Register for a webinar to learn more about chronic oedema in the ageing population and how to ensure your organisation is meeting the aged care quality standards.
Screen, assess and effectively manage mild below-knee oedema
This course will educate the health professional on how to screen, assess and effectively manage mild below-knee oedema and refer on as required for more complex and severe cases.
Who Should Complete this Course?
It is ideal for those working as part of a community organisation, delivering services through home care, general practitioner practices and for residential aged care facilities.
For those wanting skills to manage chronic oedema of the entire lower limb and more advanced below-knee oedema, the Chronic Oedema Lower Limb Course is the most appropriate course.
Early Intervention Lower Limb Oedema Course
Chronic oedema in the legs should be identified and managed as early as possible. This will help reduce the impact it may have on the client’s health and well being.
Prerequisites
This course is open to registered health professionals only (Registered Division 1 Nurses, Medical Practitioners, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Podiatrists).
Click on the headings below for more information
The course is developed around three themes.
Theme 1
Knowledge development in the following areas:
- Basic Anatomy and physiology of the vascular and lymphatic system;
- Pathophysiology of chronic oedema in the lower limb;
- Oedema differential diagnosis;
- Assessment of mild below-knee chronic lower limb oedema;
- Management of mild below-knee chronic oedema in the lower limb. It will also include an overview of management solutions that might be required for more severe chronic oedema.
- Working within the scope of practice and identification of when to refer on.
Theme 2
Chronic oedema skill development in the following areas;
- Assessment;
- Treatment of mild below-knee chronic oedemas.
Theme 3
Applied practice. The focus of this theme is on developing skills that are required for clinical practice. It integrates elements from the other themes and has a focus on clinical reasoning.
The key characteristics of the Early Intervention Lower Limb Oedema Course curriculum are:
Cased Based Learning
The course is underpinned by the exploration of chronic oedema management through case studies that will facilitate the integration of information and skills to specific chronic oedema conditions. This will facilitate an authentic learning experience.
Interdisciplinary Care
The course fosters an appreciation of interdisciplinary teamwork and explores the roles and the development of practitioners across professions. The participant will have specific areas of expertise that they can draw upon and assist other learners. It also acknowledges scope of practice and working within and identifying when to refer on.
Integrated Curriculum
The goal of the integrated curriculum of this course is to bring the learner beyond skill and concept acquisition to creativity and evidence-based decision-making and implementation in practice.
There are two options for this hybrid course.
Option 1: Self paced online learning, virtual session and a face to face component at the organisation.
Option 2: Self-paced online learning and virtual sessions. The virtual sessions have the course participants located at their organisation and the course lecturers are virtual.
The course is underpinned by evidence-based learning and the content reflects the current best practice in chronic oedema management. Each participant must complete each section of the course.
Self-Paced Online Learning
The self-paced online learning component is delivered via the Lymphoedema Education Solutions learning management system. This component is compulsory and will prepare the participant for the virtual sessions. It is estimated that it will take approximately 10 hours to complete. The modules need to be completed before the virtual sessions which is a prerequisite. As part of the self-paced learning, the learner will explore a case study from assessment to management. This will be discussed as part of the virtual sessions.
Clinical Reasoning and Practical Sessions
There are 4 sessions that covers 1.5 days. Participants are required to have 100% attendance throughout. It is envisaged that course participants will conduct the practical portion in their workplace so they can pair with another person who is attending the course.
Session 1 – 1 hour virtual session that develops the participant’s clinical reasoning around assessment utilizing the case study from the self-paced online course.
Session 2 – This is a 1-day workshop that includes practical sessions where the participant’s manual skills and clinical reasoning will be developed. This includes circumference measuring, palpation, exercise prescription, manual lymphatic drainage, wrap, and garment application and management decision making. During these sessions, the participant will be required to expose to just above the knee. Comfortable clothes are essential.
Sessions 3 & 4 are focused on assessing skills and making sure that the participant is feeling confident (Refer to the course assessment section for further details).
Assessment is included in both the self-paced learning and the group learning components of the course.
Self-paced learning Assessment
The modules include formative online quizzes that participants must achieve 80%. They have 3 attempts to complete each quiz.
Clinical Reasoning and Practical Assessment
Session 3 – Participants will work in pairs and the following assessments will be undertaken.
- Circumference assessment activity
- Apply and remove a compression garment to another participant. The participant then applies and removes the compression garment to themselves.
- Apply and remove a compression wrap to another participant.
- Manual lymphatic drainage for a below-knee case study.
Session 4 – To check specific knowledge each course participant will be invited to book into a 20-minute virtual oral assessment. This will be marked against an assessment rubric. The participant will be asked questions regarding a specific case study. This will include questions around educating a client about chronic oedema, sizing compression garments and providing education about wearing and looking after a compression garment.
Clinical Reasoning Assignment
The participant assesses a client and formalises a treatment plan including sizing for a garment. This is submitted online. This case study will be included as part of the mentoring program. Client treatment implementation and evaluation will be explored during the 6-month mentoring program.
Assist at Care Workers Course
If the organisation is implementing a care workers course the health professionals that are completing the early intervention course should attend the this course. They will be asked to assist with the practical component and will assist them with embedding their skills.
Option 1: Max 20 participants
Option 2: Each course requires 4 participants
A cost will be developed based on the needs of the organisation. It includes:
- 9-month access to the comprehensive early intervention lower limb oedema course via the LES online Learning Management System. This platform provides an interactive and collaborative environment.
- Printed course manual for the virtual course component.
- The opportunity to develop a wide variety of skills and clinical reasoning in oedema management of mild below-knee chronic oedema for the ageing population. This includes assessment, manual lymphatic draining, compression wrap/garment prescription and application.
- A unique mentoring program for each course participant.
- Resources to enable the participant to get started upon successful course completion. The participant will also have 12 month access to the course dedicated online resource hub.
The cost excludes the training pack which is required by each organisation that has participants registered in the course. One training pack can train up to 4-course participants.
Upon successful completion of the course, after the mentoring program has finished, the participant will be provided with a course certificate for 30 hours of continuing professional
Mentoring Program
Chronic Oedema Solution’s goal is to make sure the health professional feels confident in assessing and managing mild below-knee chronic oedema. The key to success is to support the health professional when they deliver care to their clients. The mentoring program will guide the health professional as they assess and manage their clients as well as provide an opportunity to be part of a community of learners and collaborate via peer to peer learning. This will be scaffolded by an experienced mentor. Participants are required to have 100% attendance throughout the mentoring program.
The program commences after the clinical reasoning assignment has been completed and is delivered over 6 months. The health professional will be allocated to a group of 4 ( health professionals from the same organisation will be placed into the same mentoring group). It comprises the following sessions.
Annual Clinical Skills and Clinical Reasoning Update Session
It is important that health professionals maintain their practical skills. This session will allow health professionals to have their skills checked as well as update them on any new advances. It is also an opportunity for health professionals to further advance their clinical reasoning. This 2 hour session could occur when the annual care workers certification session occurs or could be conducted virtually. A certificate will be provided for this session.