Preventing Sepsis in Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment and Indwelling Devices

CE-LTC-PSOA-V1.0

Course Description

This course equips long-term care professionals with practical strategies to recognize early sepsis and reduce infection-related harm in older adults, especially residents with cognitive impairment and indwelling devices. Learners will review atypical sepsis presentation in older adults, common infection sources, device-associated risks, and the subtle behavioural, cognitive, and functional changes that may signal deterioration. The course emphasizes timely recognition, safer device practices, infection prevention, and immediate response steps that support resident safety in long-term care.

Prerequisites / required prior knowledge

  • None required
  • Intended Audience: Nurses, PSWs/HCAs, clinical leaders, IPAC professionals, educators, and other LTC team members who assess, monitor, or support older adults at risk for infection, sepsis, cognitive decline, or device-associated complications
  • Recommended: Familiarity with observing resident changes, vital signs, device care, and escalation/documentation processes in LTC

Delivery

Online
Self‑Instruction (Asynchronous)

Credit

1.0 continuing education hour (Self‑Instruction)

Cost

$149 CAD

Availability window

Available on demand  Access for 1 year after enrollment
Meet the instructor

Kamyab Ghatan

MD, AL-CIP™, CIC®, LTC-CIP®, DISIPC, CDIPC
Dr. Kamyab Ghatan is a medical doctor and infection prevention leader who develops practical, standards-based training for diverse environments, including acute and long-term care, ambulatory and dental clinics, veterinary practices, and construction/renovation settings. His work spans infection prevention, surveillance, water management, sterile processing, and implementation science, with a focus on translating standards into workflows teams can actually use. Dr. Ghatan is the founder of the International College of Infection Control Professionals (ICICP).

Learning objectives:

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

  • Define sepsis and describe its common causes and early signs in older adults
  • Explain how aging, chronic illness, and cognitive impairment increase the risk for sepsis in long-term care residents
  • Apply evidence-based infection prevention practices, including hand hygiene, wound care, and vaccination, to reduce sepsis risk in daily resident care
  • Analyze behavioural, cognitive, and functional changes to differentiate possible early sepsis from baseline dementia symptoms
  • Evaluate and implement safe device management practices to reduce device-associated infections that can lead to sepsis

Completion requirements:

Learners receive credit after viewing all required content, passing the post‑test/final assessment with a minimum score of 80% (up to three attempts), and submitting the course evaluation. If a learner does not achieve 80% within three attempts, they must re-do the course (re-complete required content) within their access period before attempting the assessment again. Upon successful completion, learners may download a certificate of completion.
Provider: International College of Infection Control Professionals (ICICP)
Learner Support: support@icicp.com

Frequently asked questions

Disclosures (conflict of interest / proprietary interest)

The instructor(s) and planners report no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies related to this educational activity.

Commercial support

None. This activity received no commercial support.

Non‑vocational licensing disclosure

This course/program does not require approval under the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005.

Content independence statement

Educational content is non‑promotional and designed to be independent of commercial influence; any trade names used are for identification only, and alternatives may be discussed.