Complications

A complication is not merely an abnormal finding. It is a new problem, or an expected risk becoming clinically important, that threatens recovery. Safe nursing recognition depends on knowing the patient's baseline, the expected course of the illness or procedure, and which changes require immediate action. The RN compares trends rather than isolated numbers, identifies the most dangerous plausible explanation, protects airway, breathing, circulation, and neurologic function, and escalates with a concise account of what changed and when.