Rapid response teams provide better care for patients

Rapid response teams (RRTs) represent one way Children's Hospital is working to provide the best care possible for each patient. In the past if a patient's condition reached a critical state, a staff member alerted a "code team" to race to the bedside and care for the patient (a "code" is a life-threatening event for a patient). Since December 2005, rapid response teams have been available at Children's Hospital to intervene BEFORE a patient requires emergency care.

If a staff member is concerned and thinks a patient may be developing a problem, or if that staff member needs assistance in evaluating a patient, the rapid response team is called to assess the patient and begin basic interventions to slow or even prevent deterioration in the patient's condition. The rapid response team then notifies the patient's physician, reports its assessment of the patient's condition and receives additional orders from the physician.

At Children's Hospital rapid response teams are composed of a nurse from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and a Respiratory Care professional. Each team member brings extensive expertise in pediatric critical care to the bedside with the goal of preventing emergencies.

The teams are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week not only for response but also to provide education and support to other hospital staff. The availability of the teams is reassuring to nursing staff members, who know that if they feel the need for additional help with a patient, it is readily available.

Hospitals around the country, such as Children's, that have implemented RRTs have seen a decrease in their rates of life-threatening events ("codes").

by Meghan Alcorn, student intern