Deteriorate

How it is used

A key word in patient safety: 'the deteriorating patient', 'signs of deterioration', 'he deteriorated overnight'. Nurses are trained to recognise early deterioration, often through a rising early warning score, and to escalate quickly. In casual speech people say 'She's going downhill'.

Example sentences

1. Mrs Demir is deteriorating: her sats are dropping and she's more confused.

2. Call me straight away if his condition deteriorates during the night.

Common collocations

• deteriorating patient
• deteriorate rapidly
• signs of deterioration
• condition deteriorates

Related terms

• early warning scoreA score calculated from a patient's vital signs and level of consciousness that helps staff notice early that a patient is becoming seriously ill.
• escalateTo pass a concern about a patient to a more senior or specialist person, such as the nurse in charge or a doctor, so that they can act on it.
• vital signsThe basic body measurements that show how well a patient's body is working: usually temperature, pulse, breathing rate, blood pressure and oxygen level.
• sepsisA life-threatening condition in which the body's response to an infection starts to damage its own organs and tissues.
• unresponsiveNot reacting to voice, touch or pain, so that the person seems unconscious; a sign that urgent help is needed.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• deteriorate · Medicine
• deteriorate · Emergency Medicine & First Aid

More terms: Emergencies and the Deteriorating Patient

• CPR
• DNR
• code blue