This is a secondary driver from effective and inclusive communication within the Deteriorating Patient driver diagram
Change ideas
The examples below show how this secondary driver can be implemented in practice. Additional change ideas can be found in the Deteriorating Patient driver diagram
- Practitioner: Structured handovers within and between teams, for example use of SBARD (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation, Decision)
- Team: Regular opportunities to pause, prioritise and adapt, for example unit safety huddle or safety pause
- Organisation: Local induction processes for all staff include introduction to multidisciplinary team (MDT) and local handover tools
Evidence and resources
- Ede J, Hutton R, Watkinson P, Kent B, Endacott R. Improving escalation of deteriorating patients through cognitive task analysis: understanding differences between work-as-prescribed and work-as-done. Int J Nurs Stud. 2024;151:104671.
- Hong JQY, Chua WL, Smith D, Huang CM, Goh QLP, Liaw SY. Collaborative practice among general ward staff on escalating care in clinical deterioration: a systematic review. J Clin Nurs. 2023;32(17-18):6165-78.
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. TeamSTEPPS [online].
- Health Innovation Wessex. Safety communications (including SBARD) [online].