Dietitian Course: Pulmonary Hypertension: What Does the Evidence Suggest?

PULMONARY HYPERTENSION: WHAT DOES THE EVIDENCE SUGGEST?

Pulmonary hypertension is a type of high blood pressure that affects the arteries in the lungs and right side of the heart. If untreated or not managed properly, pulmonary hypertension can progress to negatively impact quality of life and eventually lead to death. This course will introduce you to Susan, a 70-year-old grandmother who is enjoying retirement until she starts feeling out of breath with the littlest amount of physical activity. She has always been healthy, so she’s surprised to learn that she has pulmonary hypertension. We will start with an overview of pulmonary hypertension and a look at the role of the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) as a member of an interprofessional health care team. We will distinguish between an interprofessional and an interdisciplinary approach to health care and then move into a brief review of heart and lung anatomy along with a review of Susan’s signs and symptoms. There are five groups of pulmonary hypertension, depending on the cause, and we will go over each group plus Eisenmenger syndrome, a congenital heart disease that causes pulmonary hypertension. Once we determine which type of pulmonary hypertension Susan has, we will explore her risk factors, complications, diagnosis, and treatment.

Upon successful completion of this one-hour course, the participant should be able to:

Summarize the etiology of pulmonary hypertension.

Identify risk factors for pulmonary hypertension.

Identify effective evidence-based treatment and prevention strategies.

Recap available data regarding the impact of diet on patient outcomes.

Identify members of the interprofessional health care team that should be involved in this patient's care.

Live Webinar Date: May 27, 2021 (04:00 PM - 05:00 PM Eastern Time) (US and Canada)

Expiration Date: May 27, 2024

Performance Indicators/Learning Objectives: 8.1.4, 8.1.5, 10.2.4, 10.4.3

Target Audience: RDs, DTRs, Health Professionals

Number of Credits: 1.0

Level(s): 1, 2

Total Cost: $18

About the Presenter: Nina Roofe, PhD, RDN, LD, FAND

Nina Roofe has been a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for 30 years. Throughout her career, Nina has served as a clinical dietitian in outpatient, inpatient, and consultant settings in Arkansas and Oklahoma. She has taught dietetics students since 2002 and is currently an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Nutrition & Family Sciences.

Nina received the undergraduate degree in Dietetics from the University of Central Arkansas, and completed the dietetic internship at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. While directing the Outpatient Nutrition Clinic at St. Francis Health System in Tulsa, she completed the Master of Science degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in Corporate Health Promotion. Nina earned the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Family and Consumer Sciences Education from Iowa State University.

Her research is focused on the impact of service learning on knowledge integration and specifically interprofessional educational strategies. Others areas of research include leadership development and appreciative inquiry. Dr. Roofe is a member of the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) Board, is certified by the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences as a Nutrition and Wellness Educator (CNWE), and is serving a three-year term on the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics Ethics Committee.