Pathophysiology: The Renal System
Course #38861 - $90 -
- 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.
Pathophysiology is the study of disordered and altered functions affecting the body's dynamic homeostasis and the concepts of illness development and progression. This course is designed to broaden the nurse's understanding of renal pathophysiology by exploring causes, alterations and physiology adaptations, manifestations, and resolution of disease states. Pathophysiologic symptoms and signs are described in relation to the patient's clinical presentation, allowing the nurse can monitor physical changes and relate them directly to the illness process. Appropriate diagnostic tests and treatments for each problem are included to provide information about disease progression, remission, and resolution.
- INTRODUCTION
- STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL INTER-RELATIONSHIPS
- PATHOPHYSIOLOGIC INFLUENCES AND EFFECTS
- RELATED SYSTEM INFLUENCES AND EFFECTS
- PSYCHOSOCIAL/LIFESTYLE INFLUENCES AND EFFECTS
- NURSING ASSESSMENT: ESTABLISHING THE DATA BASE
- NURSING DIAGNOSES, PLANNING, AND IMPLEMENTATION
- SPECIFIC DISORDERS OF THE KIDNEYS AND URINARY SYSTEM
- DIALYSIS
- RENAL TRANSPLANTATION
- END-OF-LIFE CARE
- CONCLUSION
- CASE STUDIES
- RESOURCES
- Works Cited
- Evidence-Based Practice Recommendations Citations
This course is designed for nurses working in critical care and general and specialty medical-surgical units in which patients with multiple organ system problems are found.
As health care becomes more complex, it is essential that the theoretical concepts of the basis of illness (pathophysiology) be well understood. The purpose of this course is to reinforce the scientific rationales for the interventions nurses perform and the decisions nurses make as patients move through the ever-changing struggle with their renal illness.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Identify the key structures in the renal system.
- Describe the functions of the renal system.
- Evaluate the impact of renal function on blood pressure.
- Discuss the pathophysiologic and environmental influences and effects on the renal system.
- Outline the role of subjective data in completing a full nursing assessment of the renal system.
- Describe objective data compiled during a nursing assessment of the renal system.
- Identify imaging and biopsy studies used in the identification and classification of renal diseases.
- Outline the nursing diagnoses, planning, and management of conditions related to renal dysfunction.
- Evaluate the presentation and management of chronic and acute kidney disease and neurogenic bladder.
- Discuss clinical manifestations of infectious diseases of the renal system.
- Review signs and symptoms of renal neoplasms and related nursing actions.
- Review the clinical presentation and management of nephrolithiasis and urolithiasis.
- Describe the common causes, appearances, and treatment of traumatic disorders of the renal system.
- Describe key concepts related to caring for patients who receive dialysis.
- Analyze the process of renal transplantation and nursing management of transplant recipients.
- Outline key considerations for patients with renal dysfunction at the end of life.
Jane C. Norman, RN, MSN, CNE, PhD, received her undergraduate education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville campus. There she completed a double major in Sociology and English. She completed an Associate of Science in Nursing at the University of Tennessee, Nashville campus and began her nursing career at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Jane received her Masters in Medical-Surgical Nursing from Vanderbilt University. In 1978, she took her first faculty position and served as program director for an associate degree program. In 1982, she received her PhD in Higher Education Administration from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. In 1988, Dr. Norman took a position at Tennessee State University. There she has achieved tenure and full professor status. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau National Nursing Honors Society. In 2005, she began her current position as Director of the Masters of Science in Nursing Program.
Mary Franks, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and NetCE Nurse Planner. She works as a Nurse Division Planner for NetCE and a per diem nurse practitioner in urgent care in Central Illinois. Mary graduated with her Associate’s degree in nursing from Carl Sandburg College, her BSN from OSF Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing in 2013, and her MSN with a focus on nursing education from Chamberlain University in 2017. She received a second master's degree in nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner from Chamberlain University in 2019. She is an adjunct faculty member for a local university in Central Illinois in the MSN FNP program. Her previous nursing experience includes emergency/trauma nursing, critical care nursing, surgery, pediatrics, and urgent care. As a nurse practitioner, she has practiced as a primary care provider for long-term care facilities and school-based health services. She enjoys caring for minor illnesses and injuries, prevention of disease processes, health, and wellness. In her spare time, she stays busy with her two children and husband, coaching baseball, staying active with her own personal fitness journey, and cooking. She is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the Illinois Society of Advanced Practice Nursing, for which she is a member of the bylaws committee.
Contributing faculty, Jane C. Norman, RN, MSN, CNE, PhD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Contributing faculty, Mary Franks, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sharon Cannon, RN, EdD, ANEF
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.
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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.