To the Editor: The Between the Flags project of the Clinical Excellence Commission (CEC) is designed to establish a “safety net” in all New South Wales public hospitals, to enable early identification and management of deteriorating hospital inpatients.1 A paediatric advisory group within of the program is currently developing five age-group-specific paediatric observation charts to account for the changes in normal physiological parameters that occur with age in children, and these have been distributed for comment before finalisation. Each chart has specific physiological calling criteria defining when a clinical review or rapid response is required from medical staff (Box). If one or more criteria fall in the “red” zone, the patient requires an immediate, rapid response; if criteria fall in the “yellow” zone, the patient needs a clinical review within 30 minutes.
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- Emergency Department, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW.
- 1. Clinical Excellence Commission. Between the Flags — keeping patients safe. Sydney: CEC, 2009. http://www.cec.health.nsw.gov.au/programs /between-the-flags.html (accessed Apr 2010).
- 2. Department of Health and Ageing. Emergency triage education kit. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, 2009. http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/5E3156CFFF0A 34B1CA2573D0007BB905/$File/Triage%20Educ ation%20Kit.pdf (accessed Jul 2010).