Early identification and management of the unstable adult patient in the emergency department

Journal of Clinical Nursing
Paul HudsonRachel Langdon

Abstract

The focus of this research was to standardise an emergency observation chart, the Adult Emergency Department Flow Chart, which incorporates elements designed to allow clinicians to more readily recognise the trends of patient deterioration. Patients present to the Emergency Department with some form of instability. Core skills and principles of Emergency Department care are to rapidly and continually assess the clinical condition of the patient, prioritise their care and treat accordingly. Often, however, deterioration of these patients is missed. The incidence of missed deterioration is set within a background of increasing presentations to Emergency Departments, greater complexity of the patient health status, longer length of stay within the Emergency Department and an ageing population. This quantitative research study comprised a retrospective medical record audit. Only those records containing notes relating to an Emergency Department admission were included. An online data collection tool based on the Adult Emergency Department Flow Chart was developed. A total of 181 medical records were reviewed: 80 during the pre-implementation audit and 101 during the post-implementation audit. The Adult Emergency Department Flow Cha...Continue Reading

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Citations

Mar 23, 2017·Pediatric Emergency Care·Erin R PeeblesJanice A Tijssen
Oct 2, 2020·Nursing Philosophy : an International Journal for Healthcare Professionals·Nancy ConnorPilar Camargo Plazas

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