I am a nurse and this is happening more and more, often to the patients detriment and is squandering resources. We now have 'tools' to assess everything they are forms where everything is scored. The score then dictates patient management and is so impersonal it often fails to identify patients at risk and wrongly identifies patients that aren't clinically at risk. This means that a patient who has gone outside had a smoke then walked up the stairs would qualify for an emergency call due to high blood pressure and heart rate especially if there is a junior nurse caring for the patient who may not consider the background and just look at the numbers.

In health it is a dangerous practice that is going to significantly reduce the skill level in the workforce and put people's lives at risk. Having Protocols and guidelines are absolutely necessary but so is allowing educated experienced clinicians to use their own judgement based on their skills and knowledge. When I was learning health was meant to be patient centers and tailored to the individuals needs, these one size fits all tools are a step away from that belief.

Sorry for the rant but as an experienced nurse I have seen these 'tools' fail and have seen that it is also taking away an individuals ability to think and problem solve.