This article aims to help practitioners to undertake the assessment of deteriorating patients using a standardised ABCDE (airway, breathing, circulation, disability, exposure) approach that allows the practitioner to assess the patient in a structured and timely manner, and to identify the specific needs of the patient using the look, listen and feel method.
Systematic assessment is central to recognising a deteriorating patient and to taking timely and appropriate action to minimise the incidence of further deterioration.
The ABCDE approach can be used to identify patients at risk of becoming acutely unwell and to summon appropriate assistance at an early stage.
The practitioner should review obtained physiological data to develop an effective management plan and indicate future investigations.
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Nursing Standard. 30, 11, 34-36. doi: 10.7748/ns.30.11.34.s44
Correspondence Peer reviewAll submissions are subject to external double-blind peer-review and checked for plagiarism using automated software.
Received: 15 October 2014
Accepted: 04 December 2014
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