Patient perceptions of deterioration and patient and family activated escalation systems—A qualitative study

Aims and objectives

To investigate the experiences of patients who received a medical emergency team review following a period of clinical deterioration and their views about the potential use of a patient and family activated escalation system.

Background

Delay or failure by health professionals to respond to clinical deterioration remains a patient safety concern. Patients may sometimes identify subtle cues of early deterioration prior to changes in vital signs. In response to health professional and system failures, patient and family activated escalation systems have been mandated and implemented in Australia. However, little research has evaluated their effectiveness nor taken patients’ perspectives into account.

Design

Qualitative exploratory descriptive design was used.

Methods

Purposive sampling was used. Semistructured interviews were undertaken in 2014 with 33 patients who required medical emergency team intervention. Data were collected from one private and one public hospital in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The framework method was used to analyse the data.

Results

All patients stated that it was the clinician who detected and responded to deterioration. Private patient participants were unaware of the medical emergency team system, and felt escalating care was not their responsibility. These patients reported being too sick to communicate prior to and during medical emergency team review and did not favour a patient and family activated escalation system. Public patients were well informed about the medical emergency team system yet expressed concerns around overriding clinicians if activating a patient and family activated escalation system.

Conclusion

Patient participation during a period of deterioration is restricted by their clinical condition and limited medical knowledge. Patients felt comfortable to communicate concerns to clinicians but felt they would not activate the patient and family activated escalation system. This behoves clinicians to actively listen and respond to patient concerns.

Relevance to clinical practice

Clinicians must promote a collaborative relationship and encourage patients to communicate their concerns. Given the perceived barriers to patient and family activated escalation systems use, resources being employed for their implementation could be redistributed to other areas of patient safety.