Heat Emergencies: Prevention, Diagnosis, and Management

Course Overview

The Heat Emergencies: Prevention, Diagnosis, and Management CME Course is a virtual, lecture-based 4 half-day course to educate clinicians about how to diagnose, treat, and prevent heat-related illness. The course will describe the current evidence around all heat-related emergencies, including heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and heat syncope. The course will provide a background on the changing epidemiology of heat-related illness, varying definitions of heat, basics of thermal physiology, and individual and population-based approaches to prevention of heat-related illness. 

Who Should Attend

• General Physicians
• Specialty Physicians
• Physician Assistants
• Nurse Practitioners
• Nurses
• Pharmacists
• Primary Care Physicians 
• Other

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Explain the epidemiology of heat related illness and associated disease processes. 
• Recognize the thermal physiology underlying clinical presentations of heat related illness.  
• Create a differential diagnosis and develop comprehensive, evidence-based management plans for all forms of heat related illness, including heat exhaustion, heat syncope, and heat stroke. 
• Describe groups at increased risk for heat related illness and develop anticipatory guidance and prevention plans.  
• Discuss the pharmacological interactions with heat-related illness and develop plans for protecting patients.  
• Identify the resources needed and best steps to take for preparedness, diagnosis and treatment of heat related illness during event medicine and in low-resources settings 
• Explain the impacts of heat across organ systems, including impacts on mental health and behavioral health and kidney disease.  
• Apply preventive solutions for heat related illness including from a community based, public health, and health systems approach.