![]() ![]() ![]() You will often hear clinicians telling patients: This must also be considered during the emergency department or ward discharge process. As a junior clinician, you will encounter GPs referring a patient to hospital because of concerns about the ability of the patient to care for themselves at home during their illness. In some cases, it may be necessary to refer or admit a patient to hospital because they are at increased risk of developing a serious illness or complication or because they cannot care for themselves at home. In some circumstances, it may be safer to arrange for the patient to be reviewed and re-assessed or admitted to the hospital for the condition to be monitored and re-evaluated.Ī comprehensive and holistic risk assessment must be performed when making this decision, during which a wide range of medical and non-medical factors must be considered.įor example, the ability of the patient to identify the early signs of a serious illness or complication will need to be considered, as well as their ability to care for themselves throughout their illness (e.g. ![]() The first part of safety netting is ensuring it is medically appropriate and safe for the patient to return home and monitor themselves. Similarly, patients discharged from hospital are told to seek medical care if their condition worsens or they develop post-operative complications. In the emergency department and primary care, consultations often conclude with the patient being advised to seek medical care if the symptoms worsen or do not resolve. You may also be interested in our guides on making a diagnosis and the SAFER consulting model. ![]()
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