Iron: Impact on Health and Wellness
Course #34161 - $15 -
- Participation Instructions
- Review the course material online or in print.
- Complete the course evaluation.
- Review your Transcript to view and print your Certificate of Completion. Your date of completion will be the date (Pacific Time) the course was electronically submitted for credit, with no exceptions. Partial credit is not available.
Iron plays an essential role in human health by participating in a variety of metabolic processes. The constant interaction between iron uptake, transport, storage, and utilization is required to maintain iron homeostasis. Disruption of homeostasis is the basis for many iron-associated disorders and can lead to decreased absorption of dietary iron. Most dietary iron is derived from heme sources (e.g., meat, seafood, poultry). Certain medical conditions can inhibit iron absorption and lead to iron-deficiency anemia. Treatment of iron deficiency, either orally or parenterally, can replenish body iron stores and prevent the consequences of iron deficiency.
This course is designed for nurses and allied health professionals in all practice settings.
The purpose of this course is to provide nurses with information about the importance of iron for human health so they can identify patients at risk of iron deficiency and provide nutrition counseling and education about recommended iron intake.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Identify the functions of iron in the human body.
- Discuss the underlying processes involved in maintaining iron homeostasis.
- List the daily recommended intakes of iron by age, gender, and life stage.
- Classify levels of iron deficiency and identify groups at risk for iron deficiency.
- Describe iron toxicity and conditions that lead to iron toxicity.
Evangeline Y. Samples, MS, RDN, LD, EdD, is a dietician and writer who has worked for decades teaching patients and students about good nutrition. She earned her Masters of Science degree in Dietetics from Marshall University and earned her Doctor of Education degree from Northcentral University. Ms. Samples has an adjunct professor of nutrition, and has written numerous articles on fitness and nutrition for the lay public. She is currently a clinical dietician practicing in West Virginia.
Contributing faculty, Evangeline Y. Samples, MS, RDN, LD, EdD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Jane C. Norman, RN, MSN, CNE, PhD
The division planner has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sarah Campbell
The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.
Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.
It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.
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The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.
Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.