 |
| |
 | | Patient Education | |
- Advise patients about the risks of exposure and how to alter habits and recognize activities that put them at risk.
- Advise selected patients and their care providers about the risks of hypothermia.
- Inform outdoor enthusiasts about prevention, recognition, and emergency management of hypothermia.
|
|
Advise patients about the risks of exposure and how to alter habits and recognize activities that put them at risk.  |
- Advise patients:
- About the risk factors of hypothermia
- Of the conditions that lead to hypothermia
- How to prevent exposure to hypothermia
- How to prepare for anticipated cold environmental conditions (layers of clothing, proper non-alcohol hydration)
- How to recognize and initiate treatment of hypothermia
- See education of cognitively impaired patients.
| Background | Back to top
|
Advise selected patients and their care providers about the risks of hypothermia.  |
- Advise patients who abuse drugs and alcohol that intoxication alters the perception of hypothermia and interferes with cognitive decision-making and homeostatic thermoregulatory mechanisms.
- Teach the basic principles of preventing hypothermia to patients and to care providers of patients with cognitive impairment related to alcohol or drug intake, retardation, dementia, or senility:
- Limit time of exposure
- Shield exposed body surfaces
- Provide effective insulation by maintaining an immobile layer of warm air next to the body (including the head and hands) and removing wet clothing
- Inform patients and care providers of the symptoms of hypothermia and the importance of immediate intervention.
| Background | Back to top
|
Inform outdoor enthusiasts about prevention, recognition, and emergency management of hypothermia. |
- Teach outdoor enthusiasts (e.g., hunters, skiers, hikers, scuba divers, wind surfers, mountain climbers, joggers, marathon runners, bicyclists, etc.) to:
- Dress appropriately for activity:
- Wear hats and jackets during rest stops to maintain body temperature
- Carry extra warm/dry layers of clothes
- Stay dry by:
- Limiting perspiration by reducing clothing layers during increased muscle and metabolic activity
- Wearing underwear and socks that wick moisture away from the body
- Avoiding cotton clothing, because it retains moisture
- Bring food and eat it to increase energy supplies
- Recognize that the onset of hypothermia occurs faster in water-related outdoor activities
- Recognize the initial and advanced symptoms of hypothermia
| Background | Back to top
| | | FAQs |
|
| Albert Cheung, MD has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations. Dmitri Guvakov, MD, PhD has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations. Stuart Weiss, MD, PhD has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations. Wenjun Zhou Martini, PhD, editorial consultant, has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations.
Darren B. Taichman, MD, PhD, Editor, PIER, has received grant support from Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd , and honoraria for continuing medical education grand rounds and lectures given. |
|
|
|
The information included herein should never be used as a substitute
for clinical judgment and does not represent an official position of
ACP. Because all PIER modules are updated regularly, printed web pages
or PDFs may rapidly become obsolete. Therefore, PIER users should
compare the date of the last update on the website with any printout
to ensure that the information being referred to is the most current
available.
|
PIER is copyrighted (c) 2010 by the American College of Physicians,
190 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106-1572, USA.
|
|
|
Hypothermia
