Residential Aged Care clinical pathways
Welcome to the Queensland Health suite of clinical pathways, developed to support decision making by Registered Nurses and General Practitioners (GPs) caring for residents of aged care facilities and to guide referral to Queensland Health Residential Aged Care Facility (RACF) acute care Support Services (RaSS). Please read the How to use the pathways and Conditions of use and copyright prior to implementing any of the clinical pathways. It is vital to note that these pathways should never replace clinical judgement and clinicians should always remain within their scope of practice.
How to use the pathways
Conditions of use and copyright
Clinical pathway development process
RACF resident assessment tools
Hospital and Health Service contact information
Pathways
Core pathways
| Recognition of the deteriorating resident | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 232 kB) |
| Management of residents with unstable vital signs | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 458 kB) |
| Checklist for contacting a GP or RaSS | View online pathway | View PDF checklist (PDF 123 kB) |
Stem pathways
| Anaemia | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 520 kB) |
| Acute respiratory infection | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 356 kB) |
| Management of COVID-19 exposure or outbreak in residential aged care facility | View PDF flowchart | |
| Behaviours of concern | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 159 kB) |
| Cellulitis | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 667 kB) |
| Chest pain | Coming soon | |
| Chronic obstruction pulmonary disease (COPD) | Coming soon | |
| Chronic wound assessment and management | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 1196 kB) |
| Congestive cardiac failure (CCF) | Coming soon | |
| Constipation | Coming soon | |
| Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) | Coming soon | |
| Dehydration and subcutaneous fluids | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 264 kB) |
| End of life management | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 158 kB) |
| Falls | Coming soon | |
| Fever or suspected infection | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 413 kB) |
| Gastroenteritis | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 753 kB) |
| High blood pressure (BP) | Coming soon | |
| Hyperglycaemia | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 753 kB) |
| Hypoglycaemia | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 753 kB) |
| New or worsened confusion | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 229 kB) |
| Pain | Coming soon | |
| Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube: troubleshooting a blocked PEG | Coming soon | |
| Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube: troubleshooting a leaking PEG | Coming soon | |
| Pneumonia | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 553 kB) |
| Shortness of breath (SOB) | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 174 kB) |
| Tracheostomy and laryngectomy emergencies | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 430 kB) |
| Urinary catheter insertion or change | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 1405 kB) |
| Urinary catheter (IDC or SPC): trouble-shooting a blocked catheter | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 1097 kB) |
| Urinary tract infection (UTI) | View online pathway | View PDF flowchart (PDF 446 kB) |
