Short Stay Ward

Ward round by registrar ~15:00: decision to made about discharge/admission

All patients must have a clearly documented plan of care

Patients must not be at significant risk of deterioration or haemodynamic compromise

Conditions appropriate for admission

• Asthmatics - weaning bronchodilators
• Viral induced wheeze - weaning bronchodilators
• Febrile convulsion - with a known focus, to ensure resolution of fever and clinically stable
• Know epileptics - post seizure, for observation
• Patients requiring fluid challenge - gastroenteritis, URTI
• Malaria - stable, non-anaemic, for observation of medication tolerance
• Head injury - normal BCS, no focal neurology, no seizures, no history of loss of consciousness, for observation to ensure clinically stable
• Pyrexia - otherwise stable, to ensure resolution of fever and clinically stable
• Poisoning - clinically stable, for observation
• Psychosomatic - to facilitate resolution of symptoms
• Post sedation - for observation
• Defilement - awaiting assessment

Conditions inappropriate for admission

• Infant under 3/12 old
• History of apnoea
• Severe respiratory distress
• Oxygen requirement
• Patients requiring intravenous fluids
• Anaemia/Pallor
• Sepsis
• Malaria with anaemia and/or compromised Blantyre Coma Score
• Head injury with compromised Blantyre Coma Score
• Dehydration - severe, acidotic, not tolerating fluids
• Severe pain
• Poly-trauma
• Malnutrition
• Burns
• Oedema
• Poisoning - haemodynamically unstable or ingestion of high risk poison
• All patients under the age of 1 year should be discussed with a registrar prior admission to the short stay ward.