Five Assessment Findings That Should Concern You

Did you ever watch the old Star Trek TV show? No of course you didn’t, but this is just you and me talking here right? OK, remember when something would threaten the ship. The captain’s first response was to say, ”Go to red alert.” or “Set condition red.” and the lighting would change and a little alarm would sound. That funky shaped light on the front console would start pulsing red. Everyone knew to treat the situation with importance.

I don’t know about you, but I have a list in my head of assessment findings that cause me to shift mental gears into condition red. I don’t need to say anything overly dramatic, but everyone on who works with me can tell when I’ve switched gears to condition red.

For one thing, I start moving just a bit faster than my usual casual pace. I delegate tasks in a laundry list fashion. “I’m going to need an O2 mask. Lets get the pram to the door and bring a stair chair up here. Jesse strip me a line in the rig and check the status of Swedish ER.” The patient may not know the difference, but people who work with me can tell that I’ve set condition red.

Here are a few of the assessment findings that send off alarm bells is my head.

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