Brain Death Determination On-line Course

Overview and Objectives:

While there exists a legal provision for brain death, or death by neurologic criteria (BD/DNC), institutional protocols for diagnosis are not universal and are often absent; no specific criteria for diagnosis is mandated. Even among institutions with an organized diagnostic protocol, there is substantial variation both in the criteria used and who may perform the determination. Please refer to your hospital’s (and state’s) policies and protocols when performing a BD/DNC determination at your hospital.

The Brain Death Determination course, presented by the Neurocritical Care Society, aims to standardize the process of brain death diagnosis. This credentialing tool will help those clinicians who are allowed by their local laws to perform brain death determination to learn and demonstrate their level of understanding and expertise by:

• Highlighting the necessary steps that must be taken to determine brain death
• Reviewing meticulous examination methods, including apnea testing, understanding the role of ancillary testing, and discussing proper documentation
• Understanding the updated guidance from the 2023 AAN/AAP/SCCM/CNS guidelines, including special circumstances such as ECMO, pregnancy, primary posterior fossa injury and others
• Outlining helpful communication approaches with fellow providers and families
• Describing common pitfalls and barriers that may arise during the determination process

At the end of this activity, learners should be able to:

• Explain the necessary steps that must be taken to determine brain death
• Describe various exam methods and discussing proper documentation
• Outline appropriate communication with fellow providers and patient families
• Describe common pitfalls and barriers that may arise during the exam process

This course is accredited for 2 hours of continuing education. It includes a video 1 hour in length, and a 25-question exam at the completion of the video. Once the video has been watched and the exam passed with a score of 100% (unlimited retakes allowed), participants will be granted a certificate of completion.

Activity Goal:

This activity is designed to address the following core and team competencies: Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Professional, Employ Evidence-based Practice, Value & Ethics, Team & Teamwork, Interprofessional Collaboration, and Interprofessional Communication.

Non-Endorsement Statement:

The accredited provider verifies that sound education principles have been demonstrated in the development of this educational offering as evidenced by the review of its objectives, teaching plan, faculty, and activity evaluation process. The accredited provider does not endorse or support the actual opinions or material content as presented by the speaker(s) and/or sponsoring organization.

Disclosures:

The accredited provider adheres to accreditation requirements regarding industry support of continuing medical education. Disclosure of the planning committee and faculty's commercial relationships will be made known at the activity. Speakers are required to openly disclose any limitations of data and/or any discussion of any off-label, experimental, or investigational uses of drugs or devices in their presentations.

All accredited provider employees and Neurocritical Care Society members in control of content have indicated that they have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

The following content contributors have indicated that they have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Accreditation:

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by CineMed and the Neurocritical Care Society. CineMed is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Claiming CE Credit Requirements:

The learner must review the entire module, the posttest, and the evaluation. Certification is achieved only when the post test is passed with a passing score of 100%. Full completion of this activity takes approximately 2 hours.
Upon successful completion of the module posttest and evaluation, a certificate will be generated. You will have the option to download the Certificate for your records, and it will also continue to be available within your profile. NCS provides certification information to the accredited provider on a monthly basis.

All content is the copyrighted material of the ©2025 Neurocritical Care Society.

Physicians:

CineMed designates this enduring material for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Support:

This activity is provided independent of industry support.

CME Information:

Release Date: January 1, 2024

Expiration Date: January 1, 2027

Hardware / Software Requirements:

• An internet connection speed of at least 4Mbps and a modern browser
• Modern browsers have a built in PDF reader which would be necessary for you to view your completion certificates