Escalation alerts notify additional people when an alert still needs attention. When an alert is not acknowledged, not resolved, or the condition is still active after a configured wait time, Hand Hygiene can trigger a new alert for a different Group, such as supervisors, managers, or on-call staff who were not part of the original alert notifications.
Use escalation alerts when additional people should be notified if the alert remains unacknowledged, unresolved, or active after a set amount of time. For example, if a dispenser in an intensive care unit is still below its refill level four hours after the alert, Hand Hygiene can trigger an escalation alert for a supervisor.
How escalation alerts differ from reminders
Reminders and escalation alerts both help when an alert still needs attention, but they work differently.
Reminders notify the same people again. Escalation alerts notify additional people through a different Group.
| Reminders | Escalation alerts | |
|---|---|---|
| What they do | Send more notifications for the original alert | Trigger a new alert for a different Group |
| Who receives them | The same recipients configured on the original Alert Rule | The Group assigned to the Escalation Alert Rule |
| Purpose | Keep the original recipients aware until the alert is acknowledged or resolved | Notify additional people when the alert still needs attention |
| How configured | In the Actions step of an Alert Rule | As a separate Escalation Alert Rule assigned to the original rule |
How escalation works
Escalation has two parts: an Escalation Alert Rule and an escalation assignment on the original Alert Rule.
Escalation Alert Rule
An Escalation Alert Rule is a separate Alert Rule. It defines:
- The Group that can acknowledge or resolve the escalation alert.
- How that Group is notified.
- Any reminders or additional escalations for the escalation alert.
You can assign one Escalation Alert Rule to multiple Alert Rules. This lets you reuse the same escalation behavior across similar alerts without setting it up each time.
Escalation assignment
You assign an Escalation Alert Rule to a Refill level Alert Rule. Each assignment defines:
- When (trigger condition): What must still be true when the wait time ends.
- Wait time (after): How long Hand Hygiene waits before checking whether to escalate.
- Then (Escalation Alert Rule): What Escalation Alert Rule is used (defines the Group and how they are notified).
If the trigger condition is met when the wait time ends, Hand Hygiene triggers an escalation alert.
Trigger conditions
When the wait time ends, Hand Hygiene checks whether the escalation should trigger. Each escalation assignment uses one trigger condition.
| Trigger condition | Escalation triggers if... |
|---|---|
| Not Acknowledged | The original alert has not been acknowledged. |
| Not Resolved | The original alert has not been resolved. |
For dispenser refills, Not Resolved is usually the more useful condition. Acknowledging an alert confirms someone has seen it; only a refill actually fixes it, and an alert still unresolved a shift later is the case worth escalating.
To escalate for more than one condition, add more than one escalation assignment to the Alert Rule.
Escalation levels
An escalation alert is a full alert, so it can have its own reminders and its own escalation. This lets you create multiple escalation levels.
Example:
- A Refill level alert triggers for a dispenser in an intensive care unit.
- Notifications are sent to the original recipients.
- Reminders are sent at the configured intervals.
- After four hours, the alert is still not resolved, so a level-1 escalation alert triggers for the supervisor Group.
- The level-1 escalation alert sends its own notifications and reminders.
- After a further four hours, the level-1 escalation alert is still not resolved, so a level-2 escalation alert triggers.
Hand Hygiene links related alerts in the Escalation Chain. You can open the Escalation Chain from an alert's detail view to see each linked alert, its status, and its notification history.
Who can act on an escalation alert
Users with access to alerts can view escalation alerts. The Group assigned to the Escalation Alert Rule controls who can acknowledge or resolve the escalation alert.
- Escalation alert: Only members of the assigned Group can acknowledge or resolve it.
- Original alert: The original alert follows its normal alert permissions.
The original alert and escalation alert are resolved separately. Resolving the escalation alert does not resolve the original alert.
From the Escalation Chain view, a user can act on linked alerts when they have permission for each alert. For example, a supervisor may be able to resolve both the original alert and the escalation alert in one action.
Groups are managed in the Kio Cloud Users app, not in Hand Hygiene. A Group can be either:
- Managed Group: Created and managed in Kio Cloud.
- SSO Group: Synced from your organization's identity provider.
Either Group type can be assigned to an Escalation Alert Rule.
When a pending escalation is canceled
Hand Hygiene cancels a pending escalation depending on its trigger condition:
- The original alert is acknowledged: Pending escalations with the trigger condition Not Acknowledged are canceled. Escalations with Not Resolved continue.
- The original alert is resolved: Pending escalations with Not Acknowledged or Not Resolved are canceled.
- The Escalation Alert Rule is disabled or deleted: Its pending escalations are canceled.
If the wait time ends and none of these apply, the escalation alert triggers.