Summary: After a patient has been told their treatment plan, it is important to reiterate signs & symptoms that would require them to seek medical attention.
Who’s it for: All Clinical Staff
What is Safety Netting?
As clinicians, we should encompass:
- If I am right, what do I expect to happen?
- How will I know if I am wrong?
- What would I do then?
The MDDUS suggests safety netting should include:
- Explaining uncertainty to the patient
- Highlight specific things to look out for (red-flag symptoms)
- Signpost further help
- Map out a timeline
- Check the patient has understood
- Accurate & detailed records of safety netting
High Risk Clinical Situations
Safety netting is particularly important when:
- The diagnosis is uncertain, and the differentials include serious illness, and in particular, illness that can progress rapidly
- The diagnosis is certain, but carries a known risk of serious complications
- The patient, for reasons of age or comorbidity, has an increased risk of serious illness or complications
Safety netting can go wrong if the information isn’t given, goes misunderstood, or isn’t specific. ”Come back to see me if you’re not feeling better” is often insufficient.
Resources:
- BJGP: Diagnostic Safety-netting
- NHS Healthier Together: Worried about your child?
- NICE CKS (Most summaries include a list of red flags & differentials)
- Cancer Research: Safety Netting