Safety spotlight
MNSI has investigated a number of patient safety events where an incomplete set of observations generated an early warning score (EWS) via an electronic patient record (EPR) system. It was not always apparent to the user that the score was based on an incomplete set of observations and, in some circumstances, led to delayed escalation in patient care.
To prevent future safety events of this nature in the future, it is worth considering the below questions:
- Does your EPR system generate an EWS even if the observations entered are not a complete set (e.g. only pulse and BP have been entered)?
- Does your EPR system alert you that an EWS is based on an incomplete set of observations and remind the user to complete all the observations?
How can you enable staff to complete all observations and ensure they generate an EWS correctly?
This was first published in the Stakeholder Bulletin: Sept 2024 - Edition