Course Number: CHS224A
Course Title: Health Problems in Adults

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

General

To develop skills needed for health assistants to provide basic preventive and curative care to adults in areas where there is no doctor.

Specific

Students will be able to:

-  Explain the 10 principles for health workers in the Code of Conduct of the International Red Cross as they apply both to disaster
   relief and community health (see Community Health. Wood, CH. AMREF, 2^nd ed. Nairobi Kenya, 1997.)
-  Define confidentiality and explain why it is important for all health workers to preserve confidentiality.
-  Demonstrate 3 techniques for establishing rapport with a patient.
- Take and record vital signs correctly.
- Identify normal vs. abnormal values for vital signs and recognize the significance of particular abnormal values.
- Correctly recognize, counsel and treat adult patients with diseases for which there are FSM national and state
   protocols (TB, Hansen's disease, hypertension, diabetes).
- Using course reference textbooks, correctly recognize, select correct treatment and follow-up and key counseling
   messages for other important diseases affecting the following organ systems:

        o Skin, muscles and bones
        o Gastro-intestinal tract
        o Mouth, ears, eyes, nose and throat
        o Urinary system
        o Lungs
        o Heart

-  Identify which of these conditions are suggested by the presence of common symptoms.
-  Describe how each disease causes dysfunction of affected organ systems and how dysfunction causes symptoms.
-  Describe the typical time course of each condition, including the pre-clinical/incubation period.
-  Select the proper treatment, including cautions and contraindications of medications on the state essential
   medication list that are used to treat these conditions.
-  Select correct dose and dose intervals of meds based on diagnosis, patient age and weight.
-  Recognize the indications, common side effects and dangers of each medicine on the dispensary essential drug
   list.
-  Identify safe traditional remedies for the following symptoms: cough, runny nose, headache, body ache, abdominal
   pain, skin bruises, constipation, menstrual cramps, anxiety, insomnia, rash and weakness.
-  Recognize situations when it is dangerous to delay or interrupt modern medical treatments for health problems.
-  Recognize signs and symptoms in adults that warrant referral to a higher level of care for the following: eye, ear,
   mouth and pharynx, chest, abdomen, genitor-urinary tract, nervous system and extremities.
-  Demonstrate proper paper records and communications for hospital referral.
-  Demonstrate proper procedure for DOT dose administration.
-  Select proper public health actions for acute flaccid paralysis, rash + fever illness, multiple cases of profuse
   watery diarrhea, dengue-like illnesses, TB and Hansen's disease.
-  Construct a registry for adults with special health care needs within a dispensary catchment area (including those
   with diabetes, hypertension, homebound disabled, epilepsy patients, Hansen's disease patients, tuberculosis
   patients, patients with major mental illness)
-  Record services delivered to patients on registry.
-  Use registry and disease management protocols to identify individuals who are due/overdue for specific services.