Inpatient nursing care and early warning scores: A workflow mismatch

Anne Watson, Chantel Skipper, Rachel Steury, Heather Walsh, Amanda Levin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

Early warning scores calculated by registered nurses (RNs) are used in hospitals to enhance the recognition of and communication about patient deterioration.This study evaluated workflow variables surrounding calculation and documentation of one pediatric hospital's use of an early warning score.Results indicated that there were significant delays in documentation of early warning scores by RNs and inconsistencies between the early warning scores and vital signs collected and documented by non-RN personnel.These findings reflected information obtained from the RNs about how they prioritize tasks and use work-arounds to specific systems issues regarding assessment and documentation in the electronic medical record.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)215-222
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of nursing care quality
Volume29
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2014
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • child
  • documentation
  • pediatric clinical deterioration
  • pediatric warning score
  • triage (early warning score)
  • vital signs
  • workflow

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Nursing

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