Standardised bed chart 'could prevent hundreds of hospital deaths':
Royal College of Physicians says there are more than 100 types of chart monitoring patients' vital signs, leading to confusion
Thousands of hospital deaths could be prevented if doctors and nurses used a standardised bed chart, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has said.
Across the UK there are more than 100 different types of chart which monitor patients' vital signs.
But there should be just one system used for all staff who check on patients' conditions – whether they are in care homes, hospitals or in ambulances, the RCP said.
It has developed a new chart it is campaigning to have rolled out across all hospitals in the UK.
As many as 6,000 deaths attributable to miscalculated deterioration of patients' condition could be prevented once the new system is in place, the RCP said.
The National Early Warning Score (News) would mean that doctors and nurses could easily move from one hospital to the next without having to learn how to read a new chart.
The chart records vital signs such as pulse, temperature and blood pressure, giving them each a score. The healthcare worker then adds up each patient's score, which indicates the severity of illness and whether the patient needs more urgent care.
Healthcare workers can learn to use the charts in an online learning portal, developed by the Royal College of Nurses (RCN).
Prof Bryan Williams, chair of the working party that developed the chart, said: "Many changes in healthcare are incremental but this new National Early Warning Score (News) has the potential to transform patient safety in our hospitals and improve patient outcomes. It is hugely important."
Prof Derek Bell, chair of the News educational subgroup, added: "Developing and adopting a standardised early warning system will be one of the most significant developments in healthcare in the next decade.
"It will provide a platform for education and training at all levels of staff and will also allow us to undertake better research into patient outcomes and improve patient safety."
The RCN director of nursing and service delivery, Janet Davies, said: "There is nothing nurses and doctors should prioritise more than patient safety, and this system, if implemented across the board, will be a great leap forward for patient care.
"Excellent systems for recognising patient deterioration do exist in many care settings, and have undoubtedly saved many lives. However, this is the first time clinical expertise and experience have come together to standardise the best of that practice.
"I hope that every trust will read this report and adopt this system as soon as possible, as countless lives could be saved in the future by adopting this simple process."
The Patients Association welcomed the new chart system, saying it should be implemented "urgently".
Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the association, said: "The public will be shocked to learn that the NHS has been operating such an ad hoc system of monitoring deterioration in a patient's condition – with different approaches in each hospital.
"It is therefore no surprise that the experience and outcome for so many patients is a negative one. This has led to a situation in which health professionals have to be trained in new procedures every time they move hospitals and no national clinical standards apply in terms of detecting what can often be an urgent need for action when a patient's treatment is failing.
"A National Early Warning Score is welcome in addressing some of these real risks. It should be implemented urgently and focus relentlessly on improving patient care, experience, outcomes and safety. It is time all trust boards paid attention to these vital systems within their trusts." The Guardian
Thousands of hospital deaths could be prevented if doctors and nurses used a standardised bed chart, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has said.
Across the UK there are more than 100 different types of chart which monitor patients' vital signs.
But there should be just one system used for all staff who check on patients' conditions – whether they are in care homes, hospitals or in ambulances, the RCP said.
It has developed a new chart it is campaigning to have rolled out across all hospitals in the UK.
As many as 6,000 deaths attributable to miscalculated deterioration of patients' condition could be prevented once the new system is in place, the RCP said.
The National Early Warning Score (News) would mean that doctors and nurses could easily move from one hospital to the next without having to learn how to read a new chart.
The chart records vital signs such as pulse, temperature and blood pressure, giving them each a score. The healthcare worker then adds up each patient's score, which indicates the severity of illness and whether the patient needs more urgent care.
Healthcare workers can learn to use the charts in an online learning portal, developed by the Royal College of Nurses (RCN).
Prof Bryan Williams, chair of the working party that developed the chart, said: "Many changes in healthcare are incremental but this new National Early Warning Score (News) has the potential to transform patient safety in our hospitals and improve patient outcomes. It is hugely important."
Prof Derek Bell, chair of the News educational subgroup, added: "Developing and adopting a standardised early warning system will be one of the most significant developments in healthcare in the next decade.
"It will provide a platform for education and training at all levels of staff and will also allow us to undertake better research into patient outcomes and improve patient safety."
The RCN director of nursing and service delivery, Janet Davies, said: "There is nothing nurses and doctors should prioritise more than patient safety, and this system, if implemented across the board, will be a great leap forward for patient care.
"Excellent systems for recognising patient deterioration do exist in many care settings, and have undoubtedly saved many lives. However, this is the first time clinical expertise and experience have come together to standardise the best of that practice.
"I hope that every trust will read this report and adopt this system as soon as possible, as countless lives could be saved in the future by adopting this simple process."
The Patients Association welcomed the new chart system, saying it should be implemented "urgently".
Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the association, said: "The public will be shocked to learn that the NHS has been operating such an ad hoc system of monitoring deterioration in a patient's condition – with different approaches in each hospital.
"It is therefore no surprise that the experience and outcome for so many patients is a negative one. This has led to a situation in which health professionals have to be trained in new procedures every time they move hospitals and no national clinical standards apply in terms of detecting what can often be an urgent need for action when a patient's treatment is failing.
"A National Early Warning Score is welcome in addressing some of these real risks. It should be implemented urgently and focus relentlessly on improving patient care, experience, outcomes and safety. It is time all trust boards paid attention to these vital systems within their trusts." The Guardian
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