Patient deterioration: Flinders leads prevention campaign

Senior Lecturer in Nursing Dr Lindy King has led new research into the reporting of physical deterioration among hospital patients which will be used to frame a new state policy in this area.

Rapid response to patients whose physical condition deteriorates in hospital is a critical issue in healthcare.

Patient deterioration that goes unrecognised can result in preventable complications, unanticipated transfer to Intensive Care Units, longer hospital stays, diminished capacity for independent living or unexpected deaths.

Many of the early signs of deterioration can be detected by effective monitoring, however some continue to be missed or not responded to in a timely manner.

A review of patient deterioration programs has shown that patients, family members, carers and visitors can play an important role in detecting and reporting patient deterioration.

Australian hospitals are now mandated to develop ‘consumer-initiated escalation of care’ programs to both prevent and limit the impact of patient deterioration.

Dr King and her research team have championed new knowledge in this area by developing a new model of ‘consumer reporting of patient deterioration’.

They have also developed a catch-phrase for the model, ‘You’re Worried, We’re Listening’, and produced a suite of educational materials designed to raise public awareness of patient deterioration and the steps that can be taken to address it.

These important outcomes have been used to inform the soon-to-be-released South Australian policy on Consumer Initiated Escalation of Care for patient deterioration.

Dr King’s collaborators include Professor Robyn Clark, Professor Hugh Grantham, Mr Guy Peacock, Dr Tom Young, Dr Shahid Ullah and Professor Michael Kidd.

Posted in
Uncategorised

Leave a Reply