Evaluating Nursing Strategies to Prevent Failure to Rescue

This essay critically evaluates the concept of 'failure to rescue' within the context of the deteriorating patient in an acute healthcare environment, focusing on patient safety needs. It begins by defining failure to rescue and discussing the incidence of adverse events in the Australian acute healthcare environment. The core of the essay analyzes and evaluates two key nursing strategies: timely identification of patient problems and effective communication. Timely identification involves nurses promptly responding to patient changes, recording them, and managing the problem effectively. Effective communication is explored as a crucial strategy for nurses to prevent failure to rescue, encompassing communication between nurses, patients, and families. The essay uses research to illustrate how these strategies can be implemented to improve patient outcomes and prevent health deterioration. The essay underscores the importance of early intervention and clear communication as essential components of patient safety, providing insights into how nurses can actively work to prevent adverse outcomes and maintain patient well-being.

Strategies
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According to Gaies et al, (2017), failure to rescue refers to a condition that takes place when
healthy patient who had been hospitalized begin to develop multiple complications that lead to
further health deterioration and even death. However, nurses plays a critical role in preventing
failure to rescue situation. The two main strategies that nurses can use to prevent failure to rescue
include timely identification of a problem and effective communication.
Timely identification of the problem
Timely identification refers to the process where nurses respond to patient changes as soon as
they occur, record them and find the best way to manage the problem. Although many registered
nurses operate in health care facilities that have inadequate resources, it is important to treat
patient queries with priority to avoid further complications. According to Herron, (2018), timely
identification mainly involve nurses and the healthcare system in the hospital. Besides that, it is
the strategy that enhance safety outcome by preventing any possible transition of a simple
problem to a severe problem that may cause further patient injuries. In multiple scenarios, patient
conditions do not abruptly transit from simple to complex situation, however, it involves a steady
accumulation of several unidentified conditions according to Smith et al, (2019). When
registered nurses timely identify condition change in a patient, they are in a apposition to analyze
the situation and quickly diagnose the condition. It prevent any further complications that may
arise in patient.
On the other hand, nurse can make use of a technological method to easily record changes in
patient. The system is able to notify the nurses of any adverse condition that can arise from the
patient. However, patient’s is also advantaged with timely identification of a problem. The
registered nurses are able to inform the families on time. Having the information on time assist
the family members to identify any further assistance that they can offer for the safety of their

member according to Weledji & Verla, (2016). For instance, there can be scenarios where
registered nurses are operating in hospital that do not have certain machines that can assist in
solving the patient’s challenge. However, if there is timely identification, the registered nurses
are able to recommend other facilities that can assist in the scenario. A practical example is
where the patient need surgical services. Many surgeons understand that changes in patients are
as a result of accumulation of other problem. When there is timely identification, the registered
nurses can ask for further assistance. For example, they can call a senior doctor who fully
understand the scenario. From there, the patient and the family members can be sure of positive
outcomes hence the safety of the patient. It can be a problem that need proper utilization of the
evaluation tools, besides finding the root cause of the problem according to Kim et al, (2017).
Another scenario is when attending to labor ward. Expectant mothers need timely identification
of the challenge that they are going through. Timely identification of a problem in expectant
women prevent complications such as further bleeding or death of the unborn baby. Registered
nurses can apply electronic surveillance that timely screen and monitor vital signs that patients
may be showing. However, they can only apply this technology when there is a plan to timely
check the changes in a patient. It assures of safety and satisfaction in job.
Effective Communication
One of the causes of patients’ deaths and medical errors is poor communication between the
patients, nurses and family members. However, effective communication strategy can play a
crucial role in preventing registered nurses from failure to rescue. For example, Varley et al,
(2017) stated that when an expectant woman is brought to a labor ward, nurses have to know the
medical history of the woman. There are instances, where the woman may be in severe pain and
in that scenario a close family member is required to give out important information. Sometimes,

the woman might have been experiencing postpartum hemorrhage in the previous births. When
nurses do not get these information, the woman might die when the patient get severe pain.
Effective communication is also necessary among the registered to prevent failure to rescue. For
example, in a surgical ward there can be a nurse who operate the patient and the others who take
crucial record from the patient. In such a circumstance, the nurse should use polite and
professional language when interacting with each other. The record taken by one nurse might be
used by another nurse to provide medical services to the patient. It means that if there are no
proper communication methods, there can be a possibility of medication error.
On the other hand, effective communication also touches on the patient. When there is effective
communication, Lyndon, (2019) say that the patient can freely say what he or she feels while the
nurse is taking the notes. The notes assist in assessment and diagnosis period and thus preventive
any failure to rescue. However, there are scenarios where a patient might not communicate well
especially the old patients. In such a scenario, a family member can explain the patient’s medical
history. When there is well laid communication method for both patients and nurses, failure to
rescue is rare. For example, when a patient cannot explain what he or she is feeling, sign
language and facial expression can be allowed. It will ensure patient’s safety because the
registered nurse have the accurate information that can assist in patient assessment. It is
important to ensure effective communication for nurses that work on shifts. For instance, if a
registered nurse need to enter night shift he or she should have enough information about the
patients that will be under him or her according Mushta et al, (2018). It therefore illustrate that
having a proper healthcare system is also important. It ensures patient safety by ensuring records
are safe and reliable. Patients that need urgent care are also listed down for attention, thus
preventing any further deterioration of their health status.

References
Gaies, M., Alten, J., Klugman, D., Cooper, D., Pasquali, S., Zhang, W., ... & Nallamothu, B.
(2017). Failure-to-Prevent Drives Variation in Mortality After Pediatric Cardiac Arrest
More So Than Failure-to-Rescue. Circulation, 136(suppl_1), A15730-A15730.
Herron, E. K. (2018). New graduate nurses’ preparation for recognition and prevention of failure
to rescue: A qualitative study. Journal of clinical nursing, 27(1-2), e390-e401.
Lyndon, A. (2019). Failure to Rescue, Communication, and Safety Culture. Clinical obstetrics
and gynecology, 62(3), 507-517.
Mushta, J., L. Rush, K., & Andersen, E. (2018, January). Failure to rescue as a nurse‐sensitive
indicator. In Nursing forum (Vol. 53, No. 1, pp. 84-92).
Smith, A., Ibraheem, K., Tatum, D., Schroll, R., Guidry, C., McGrew, P., ... & Duchesne, J.
(2019). Failure to Rescue: A Quality Improvement Imperative in Achieving Zero Death
in Damage Control Laparotomy Patients. The American Surgeon, 85(9), 973-977.
Varley, P. R., Geller, D. A., & Tsung, A. (2017). Factors influencing failure to rescue after
pancreaticoduodenectomy: a National Surgical Quality Improvement Project
Perspective. Journal of Surgical Research, 214, 131-139.
Weledji, E. P., & Verla, V. (2016). Failure to rescue patients from early critical complications of
oesophagogastric cancer surgery. Annals of Medicine and Surgery, 7, 34-41.

Kim, B. J., Tzeng, C. W. D., Cooper, A. B., Vauthey, J. N., & Aloia, T. A. (2017). Borderline
operability in hepatectomy patients is associated with higher rates of failure to rescue
after severe complications. Journal of surgical oncology, 115(3), 337-343.