Lets talks NEWS...
Nurse and carer worry, I like to think that Critical Care outreach teams take this very seriously and that the 'worry' has a heavy influence in our management. Many of our patients may score 0, but warrant a trip to the ITU (AKI patients for instance).
However, as part of our escalation policy it states that staff should alert the doctor and or the Outreach team when NEWS is 5 or 3 in one parameter. This causes the 'radar referral effect'. We often have a group of these patients on our list. Personally, I find them difficult to prioritise as they are often receiving frequent observations and have a plan. By concentrating on this group and make sure they have everything in place can take time, but... what about those not scoring in this threshold? Do they get pushed to the bottom of the list? Should nurses follow this protocol to safeguard themselves as well as the patient or are we not looking for sick patients in the right place?
Don't get me wrong, the NEWS has been revolutionary in the way we deal with deterioration, but as a tool to prioritise this may not be the case.
There are softer signs at play here....has anyone got any solutions to deal with the 'radar referals'
Lots to discuss @Ron Daniels @Emma Richardson @LIz Staveacre @Danielle Haupt @Kirsty Wood