Red Flags & Referrals

Recognition and Management of Serious/Urgent Medical Conditions

With Instructor Anthony Von der Muhll, L.Ac., DNBAO, FAIPM

Next offering: TBA. Please let us know of your interest in a distance-learning class.

Check back for next live class date, or contact us to be notified by email


 Course Goals and Content
On-Demand/Home Study Class

  • Over 30 “easy-to-miss” urgent/serious conditions relatively likely to present in acupuncture practice without prior diagnosis
  • Symptom-based format and case studies: test your ability to rapidly and accurately identify red flags
  • The art of making referrals and building relationships with other health professionals: enhance patient safety, while you increase your practice volume!

Recognition and management of urgent/serious medical conditions

  • L.Ac.’s role as primary health-care profession
  • Condition incidence and/or prevalence in outpatient acupuncture practice
  • Risk factor/history/sign/symptom clusters
  • Pathomechanisms, natural progression and adverse outcomes
  • Stabilizing measures, referrals, consultations, and EMS
  • Documentation of assessment, stabilization and referral

General characteristics of pain as a red flag

  • Timing of pain
  • Post-traumatic and post-surgical pain
  • Atraumatic joint inflammation and degeneration
  • Bone pain and fractures
  • Pain with neurovascular and trophic signs and symptoms
  • Degree of disability
Spinal pain, sensory and motor problems
  • Radiculopathy
  • Cauda equina syndrome
  • Spinal cancer
  • Fractures: vertebral compression, ribs, spondylolisthesis
  • Shingles/herpes zoster

Upper extremity pain, sensory and motor problems

  • Rotator cuff tears
  • Shoulder, elbow, wrist dislocation
  • Fractures: radial head and neck; supracondylar; scaphoid
  • Severe peripheral neuropathy
  • Severe Raynaud’s disease
  • Complex regional pain syndrome: reflex sympathetic dystrophy, causalgia

Lower extremity pain, sensory and motor problems:

  • Avascular necrosis of the hip
  • Slipped capital femoral epiphysis
  • Vascular claudication
  • Ankle/foot fractures
  • Deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism
  • Compartment syndrome

Headaches and oro-facial pain 

  • TIAs, strokes and aneurysms
  • Temporal arteritis
  • Bacterial sinusitis
  • Acute closed-angle glaucoma
  • Non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage
  • Severe sore throat

Organ pain

  • Chest and respiratory pain
  • Abdominal and digestive pain
  • Urinary and reproductive systems pain

Systemic and Psycho-Social Complaints

  • Limb swelling and pulse abnormalities
  • Fatigue and changes in weight
  • Dizziness and altered mental function
  • Substance abuse, depression and suicidality
  • Signs and symptoms of abused and neglected patients

Making and Building Referrals

  • The art of building referral relationships to enhance patient safety and volume.
  • Protocols for effective and timely referrals
  • Documentation of management and referrals


Student Ratings and Comments

from evaluations as required by California Acupuncture Board

Respondents: 8 of 13 enrolled

Average rating:  5/5

Comments:

“Awesome class as usual, great guest presenters!” –Marian Blum, L.A.c

Next offering: TBA. Please let us know of your interest in a distance-learning class.

View full program schedule and register for classes