Abnormal Vital Sign Recognition and Provider Notification in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Clinical Informatics
• Healthcare Quality Improvement

Background:

• Vital signs are crucial for identifying patient deterioration and illness severity.
• Effective communication of abnormal vital signs by nurses to healthcare providers is essential.
• Current notification processes may present challenges in timely and efficient communication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the process of notifying healthcare providers about abnormal vital signs in a pediatric emergency department.
• To evaluate the impact of a best practice advisory (BPA) on this notification process.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods study was employed to assess the BPA's effectiveness.
• A best practice advisory (BPA) was piloted by advanced practice providers.
• Data collection likely involved process metrics and potentially qualitative feedback.

Main Results:

• Implementation of the BPA led to an improved provider notification process.
• The BPA enhanced clinical decision-making related to abnormal vital signs.
• Trends suggested improvement in the percentage of patients discharged with abnormal respiratory rates, temperatures, and heart rates, though not statistically significant in this pilot.

Conclusions:

• The creation and implementation of a BPA effectively improved the communication of abnormal vital signs to providers.
• This intervention demonstrates a successful strategy for enhancing patient safety and care coordination in a pediatric emergency setting.