Recognising and Responding to Clinical Deterioration

Ensuring that patients who deteriorate receive appropriate and timely care is a key safety and quality challenge. All patients should receive comprehensive care irrespective of their location in the hospital or the time of day. Even though a range of systems have been introduced locally to better manage clinical deterioration, this area needs to remain a priority while patients continue to experience preventable adverse events because their deterioration is not identified or managed properly.

A Background Paper (PDF 96 KB) on the topic is available for download.

About The Program

1. a nationally agreed consensus statement regarding the essential elements for recognising and responding to clinical deterioration.


2. An implementation and action guide to support the consensus statement and provide information about how the elements within it can be put into practice for all patients across all acute settings.


3. an evidence-based adult general observation chart that will incorporate features to support the identification of patients who are deteriorating, and prompt action to properly manage these patients.

• Working with a team of researchers to study the prevalence of clinical deterioration in a multi-centre study.


• Convening a national workshop with the Clinical Excellence Commission to showcase solutions to the problem of recognising and responding to clinical deterioration.


• Facilitating an interest group of researchers and practitioners interested in issues concerned with the recognition of and response to paediatric patients who deteriorate.


• Exploring the development of clinical judgment and expertise in recognising clinical deterioration.


• Undertaking surveys of systems and practices for recognising and responding to clinical deterioration.

National Consensus Statement

Program Newsletter

Program Events

Related Links

• Australia


• International

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