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. 2022 Jan;9(1):57-65.
doi: 10.1002/nop2.1105. Epub 2021 Nov 10.

Signs and symptoms, apart from vital signs, that trigger nurses' concerns about deteriorating conditions in hospitalized paediatric patients: A scoping review

Claus Sixtus Jensen  1   2   3 , Marianne Lisby  1   2 , Hans Kirkegaard  1 , Mia Ingerslev Loft  4
Affiliations

Signs and symptoms, apart from vital signs, that trigger nurses' concerns about deteriorating conditions in hospitalized paediatric patients: A scoping review

Claus Sixtus Jensen et al. Nurs Open. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Aim: This scoping review aimed to identify and map the signs and symptoms-apart from vital signs-that trigger nurses' concerns about the deteriorating conditions of hospitalized paediatric patients.

Design: A scoping review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology.

Methods: Six databases, including MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, Swemed and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses databases, were searched systematically. Of 5795 citations, seven matched the inclusion criteria.

Results: Objective observations, such as the patient's colour, pain-level changes, and behavioural observations, were identified as signs that would trigger nurses' concerns. Nurse's intuitive feelings or gut feelings when seeing a patient was also identified as an important factor for identifying a deteriorating paediatric patient. A "gut feeling" was described as both a reaction to patient signs and a feeling based on the nurse's intuition gained through experience. The signs or symptoms that would trigger this "gut feeling" were not identified.

Keywords: clinical deterioration; early recognition; nurse intuition; nursing concern; pediatric nursing.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Search results and study selection and inclusion process
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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