HINT: How is the PAT used to assess a child’s status?
Connected Care Quick Hits are up to date and evidence based recommendations for the care of children with medical complexity & technology dependence, from hospital to home.
HINT: Be prepared to review the Paediatric Assessment Triangle (PAT) when initiating a patient-specific consult.
SITUATION:
When engaging in patient-specific consults, Connected Care Resource Nurses (CCRNs) will use the PAT to confirm that the encounter is not an emergency. This is achieved by partnering with the home care nurses in completing a PAT.
BACKGROUND:
The PAT is a rapid evaluation tool that takes 10-15 seconds to complete and is used to assess the clinical status of a child through brief inspection.
The PAT assesses: 1) Work of Breathing, 2) Circulation, 3) Appearance. The goal of the assessment is to quickly form a general impression of the child's overall physiological state, allowing CCRNs to provide home care nurses with a safe and appropriate clinical recommendation.
RECOMMENDATION:
When initiating a Connected Care Live consult, CCRNs will ask home care nurses to look at the child and visually inspect the following in order to determine if a child is well or unwell
Always remember to also consider
the child's normal baseline throughout the assessment.
What if the PAT is abnormal?
If 1/3 assessments are abnormal, Connected Care will suggest obtaining vital signs and/or a thorough assessment. Escalation of care may be needed.
If 2/3 assessments are abnormal, Connected Care will inform that this is likely an emergency and suggest appropriate escalation of care.
REMEMBER:
Connected Care is not to be used in emergencies.
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