Record review to explore the adequacy of post-operative vital signs monitoring using a local modified early warning score (mews) chart to evaluate outcomes.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

1) To explore the adequacy of: vital signs' recordings (respiratory and heart rate, oxygen saturation, systolic blood pressure (BP), temperature, level of consciousness and urine output) in the first 8 post-operative hours; responses to clinical deterioration. 2) To identify factors associated with death on the ward between transfer from the theatre recovery suite and the seventh day after operation.

Design

Retrospective review of records of 11 patients who died plus four controls for each case.

Participants

We reviewed clinical records of 55 patients who met inclusion criteria (general anaesthetic, age >13, complete records) from six surgical wards in a teaching hospital between 1 May and 31 July 2009.

Methods

In the absence of guidelines for routin

SUBMITTER: Kyriacos U 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3909075 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature