If a reg is not answering the pager and a patient is unwell, to whom should you escalate if necessary?

If a reg is not answering the pager and a patient is unwell, to whom should you escalate if necessary?

• A. The reg.
• B. The consultant or other senior team members.
• C. The nurse in charge.
• D. The security team.

Answer: (D)

When a registrar isn’t answering the pager and the patient is deteriorating, the immediate move is to escalate to the consultant or another senior clinician who has the authority to direct urgent medical care. These senior clinicians can assess the situation, authorize rapid interventions, call in additional team members, and decide on escalation steps such as calling the rapid response team or transferring to higher-level care. If the primary clinician can’t be reached, follow the hospital’s escalation protocol to contact the on-call or most senior available clinician. The nurse in charge can coordinate nursing care and help mobilize the team, but they aren’t the clinical decision-maker required for urgent medical escalation. The security team has no role in clinical decision-making or patient-care escalation.

When a registrar isn’t answering the pager and the patient is deteriorating, the immediate move is to escalate to the consultant or another senior clinician who has the authority to direct urgent medical care. These senior clinicians can assess the situation, authorize rapid interventions, call in additional team members, and decide on escalation steps such as calling the rapid response team or transferring to higher-level care. If the primary clinician can’t be reached, follow the hospital’s escalation protocol to contact the on-call or most senior available clinician.

The nurse in charge can coordinate nursing care and help mobilize the team, but they aren’t the clinical decision-maker required for urgent medical escalation. The security team has no role in clinical decision-making or patient-care escalation.