This safety story presents a brief, timely highlight of an event reported through the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS) that may provide a learning opportunity for facilities.
Telemetry
Event*
Staff in a remote monitoring location identified a patient emergency. Attempts to reach nursing staff in the patient's unit by telephone were not immediately fruitful. Staff ran from the remote monitoring unit to the patient's unit to alert staff.
Opportunity
To prepare for circumstances in which staff in remote monitoring locations recognize that a patient's health may be in imminent danger, but in-person assessment of the patient's condition cannot be accomplished in a timely manner, facilities are encouraged to develop back-up processes. These could include protocols to alert rapid response or resuscitation teams.
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* The details of the PA-PSRS event narrative in this article have been modified to preserve confidentiality.
