Recognising and Responding to Clinical Deterioration: Use of observation charts to identify clinical deterioration
In March 2009, the Commission published a paper on the use of observation charts to recognise clinical deterioration.
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There are observable physiological abnormalities prior to adverse events such as cardiac arrest, unanticipated admissions to intensive care and unexpected death. Observation charts are the primary tool for recording information about vital signs and other physiological measures, and therefore have a critical role in the identification of patients at risk.