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
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has commenced a new program of work with the goal of improving the recognition of and response to clinical deterioration in hospitals and other acute care facilities. The main initiatives in this program to support work at a national level include the development of:- a nationally agreed consensus statement regarding the essential elements for recognising and responding to clinical deterioration.
- guidelines for how to apply these elements in specific settings, namely paediatrics, mental health and smaller facilities with no intensive care or limited medical cover.
- a guide for implementing programs to improve the recognition of and response to clinical deterioration.
- 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.
There are a number of other activities that will be conducted as part of this program and include:
- Exploring the issues regarding recognition and response to clinical deterioration in primary care settings.
- Exploring the development of clinical judgment and expertise in recognising 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.
- 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.
A detailed Project Plan (PDF 147 KB) for the program along with a Program Summary Brochure (PDF 161 KB) are available for download.
Call for written submissions on a draft national Consensus Statement
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care is seeking written submissions on the development of a Consensus Statement setting out the essential elements required for effectively recognising and responding to clinical deterioration.Program Newsletter - Coming soon
Download the latest Recognising and Responding to Clinical Deterioration program newsletterProgram Events
Details on past and upcoming events are available via this link.Related Links
Contact
Dr Nicola Dunbar, Program Manager(02) 9263 3633
Email: mail@safetyandquality.gov.au
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