Page 2673 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 21 September 2022
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statement on rapid response systems in Australia and New Zealand, and the roles of intensive care. They acknowledge that despite the best efforts of rapid response systems:
… some patients will deteriorate, even with appropriate and timely care—
and—
… deterioration is commonly due to complications of the primary illness such as arrhythmias, progression of an acute illness such as renal failure from sepsis, or the complications of correct treatment despite best practice preventive measures including wound infection and venous thrombosis.
We have to recognise that despite the best efforts of clinicians and systems, there are circumstances where they cannot always prevent the very real consequences of illness and injury that can have devastating impacts for a person and their family.
Preparation for the commencement of the Digital Health Record has involved engagement with clinicians to ensure implementation of the paediatric early warning system, and that the necessary triggers for observations and escalations are in place. These will be implemented in the Digital Health Record from commencement in November 2022, with ongoing review and further opportunity to enhance the DHS application triggers in early 2023.
For Ms Castley’s information, I did actually see the system—it is the adult system, but it is very similar—in place, on a screen, when I went to have a look at the Digital Health Record equipment demonstration the other day. It literally has a yellow band and a red band for every individual observation measure, and it has a score, and it triggers a response. That is the electronic system that is going to be in place. The Digital Health Record team will continue to work with clinicians to collect data and provide further analysis, alongside case scenarios, to inform future decision-making regarding any potential adoption of an alternative system.
This recognises that people have different views and there are different systems. What the DHR will enable the team to do is to measure in the background all of those different measures to understand and build an evidence base about what would happen if we changed to an alternative system, bearing in mind the wide ramifications that would have. It means that any changes will be strongly evaluated in the context of our systems, ahead of implementation to ensure our organisations are making strong evidence-based decisions.
As part of the early warning system in use at Canberra Hospital, comprehensive training is provided to all staff in the early recognition of deterioration through the COMPASS program. All clinical staff are required to complete the COMPASS program, which provides clinicians with the ability to initiate appropriate and timely management of deterioration. This mandatory training is completed on orientation to the health service and at yearly refresher intervals.
I am going to run out of time to talk in any more detail about this, but I want to table some documents for the information of the Assembly (Extension of time granted.)
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