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Integrating a Rapid Response System into a Patient Safety Program

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Textbook of Rapid Response Systems

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Abstract

Since at least the publication of the Institute of Medicine’s report To Err Is Human,1 most healthcare organizations have been struggling to find and eliminate hazards. Their struggle arises from the complex mixture of issues that plague any organization dealing with the seemingly easy problems to be solved by a new safety program. Many healthcare organizations soon realize they are dealing with organizational psychology issues that require tools from change management. Somewhat fewer facilities are aware of the problems ingrained in human factors engineering of systems, devices, and tools. We will define these terms and how they apply to Rapid Response Systems (RRS) and their efferent limb, the Medical Emergency Team (MET) and Rapid Response Team (RRT) throughout this chapter. An MET or RRT response is not just a wonderful tool to improve morbidity and mortality associated with hospital medical crises and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, it is also an indirect tool to address the struggles to improve quality and safety throughout a healthcare organization. Conceptually and empirically, most hospitals will likely need RRS programs due to findings from human factors engineering and healthcare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Human Factors Engineering & Healthcare Specialist, Red Forest Consulting, LLC and University of Michigan Health System, 3812 Lake Pointe Lane, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    John Gosbee

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  1. John Gosbee
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Correspondence to John Gosbee .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Dewey Street 125, Edgewood, 15218-1407, Pennsylvania, USA

    Michael A. DeVita

  2. Liverpool Hospital, Dept. Intensive Care, University of New South Wales, Locked Bag 7103, Liverpool, 1871, New South Wales, Australia

    Ken Hillman

  3. Dept. Intensive Care, Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre, Studley Road, Heidelberg, 3084, Victoria, Australia

    Rinaldo Bellomo

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Gosbee, J. (2011). Integrating a Rapid Response System into a Patient Safety Program. In: DeVita, M., Hillman, K., Bellomo, R. (eds) Textbook of Rapid Response Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-92853-1_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-92853-1_4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-92852-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-92853-1

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