How do you create a drama-free shift? Start by recognizing patient deterioration before it becomes a code.

In this episode, Kevin and Dr. Lisa Wolf discuss how patients often show signs of deterioration hours before cardiac arrest—and why those warning signs are too easily missed, minimized, or handed off to the next shift.

From subtle changes in mental status and relative hypotension to rising respiratory rates, delayed interventions, and the high-acuity patient hiding in a low-acuity setting, they break down what nurses should be watching for. They also discuss the importance of trending vital signs, completing a real assessment, preparing the patient's environment, escalating concerns, and asking for another set of experienced eyes when something just does not look right.

Because the best code is the one that never happens—and hope is not a plan.

Link to the Trigger Values study
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21521399/

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In this episode, Kevin and Dr. Wolf tackle a listener question about hourly rounding, and the conversation quickly evolves into a larger discussion about how healthcare systems often implement sweeping changes with little to no evidence behind them. From "check-the-box" tasks to reactionary policies created after adverse events, they explore how well-intentioned interventions can become burdensome, ineffective, and sometimes even counterproductive. Along the way, they discuss the importance of evidence-based practice, critical thinking, and asking the simple but important question: "What problem are we actually trying to solve?"

We've all heard, "Pain is whatever the patient says it is."
But do we actually practice that way?

In this episode, Kevin and Lisa dive into a fascinating mixed-methods study exploring how nurses think about pain and how those beliefs change when real clinical decisions are made in triage. Dr. Wolf unpacks research examining nurses' attitudes, behaviors, and hidden biases surrounding pain assessment and triage decision-making.

The results are uncomfortable and important.

This conversation isn't about blaming nurses; it's about understanding how systems, cognition, and culture shape practice, and how awareness can help us deliver safer, more compassionate care.

Here is a link to the full article.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0099176726000048?dgcid=author

Want to watch the video on Youtube?
https://youtu.be/FkCvwME19eE

Follow us on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Art-of-Emergency-Nursing-276898616569046/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJTnz4phtCTjojTIDJo2afA?view_as=subscriber

Twitter: @AoenPodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artofemergencynursing/

To support the show:

• Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews greatly contribute to the success of the podcast, and I appreciate each and every one of them.
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your preferred podcast platform to never miss an episode.

Thank you for being a part of our AOEN community!