Viral Hepatitis
Course #94994 -
- 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.
Liver failure is a primary cause of mortality and morbidity in the United States. Chronic viral hepatitis is the leading cause of liver failure in this country and throughout the world. Six separate viral species, some with numerous subspecies, have been designated as the hepatitis viruses and are identified by the letters A, B, C, D, E, and G. Some of these viruses are associated with only acute liver disease while others are more commonly identified as causes of chronic liver disease. The classification, clinical presentation, and management of viral hepatitis are discussed. Emphasis is given to hepatitis C, now a treatable disorder and the most common cause of chronic hepatitis leading to cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and the need for liver transplantation.
- INTRODUCTION
- THE LIVER
- DIAGNOSTIC TESTS OF LIVER FUNCTION AND DISEASE
- OVERVIEW OF VIRUSES AND VIRAL DISEASES
- HEPATITIS A
- HEPATITIS E
- HEPATITIS B
- HEPATITIS D
- HEPATITIS C
- HEPATITIS G
- LIVER TRANSPLANTATION
- CONSIDERATIONS FOR NON-ENGLISH-PROFICIENT PATIENTS
- CASE STUDIES
- CONCLUSION
- Works Cited
- Evidence-Based Practice Recommendations Citations
This course is designed for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and allied staff in all specialties.
The purpose of this course is to provide healthcare professionals with a review of normal liver structure and function, common liver function tests used to assess liver disease, and an overview of the current diagnosis and management of primary viral hepatitis.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Outline the physiology of the liver and the pathophysiology of hepatitis infections.
- Describe the various hepatitis virus infections and their management.
Kalynn Matisco, APRN, PhD, received an Associate Degree in Nursing from Wallace College in Dothan, Alabama, her BSN from Troy State University, her Masters and Doctoral degrees from University of Alabama at Birmingham, and her Nurse Practitioner education at the University of South Alabama. Dr. Matisco has practiced in a variety of settings, including obstetrics, medical-surgical, dialysis, critical care, nursing education, nursing research, and, most recently, infectious disease. She retired from the University of Florida Division of Infectious Disease and Global Medicine in 2018 and now practices in temporary assignments with underserved populations.
Contributing faculty, Kalynn Matisco, APRN, PhD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
John M. Leonard, MD
Mary Franks, MSN, APRN, FNP-C
Randall L. Allen, PharmD
The division planners have 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.