Abstract
Long before the development of the Rapid Response System (RRS) concept, nurses and physicians have been aware that patients rarely deteriorate suddenly. Once practitioners started to ask questions such as “What is happening in the minutes, hours and even days before a patient deteriorates to a cardiorespiratory arrest?” or “Is there something we can do to intervene?” the steps towards creating a new patient safety and quality initiative began. Several studies sought to identify the antecedents to these events and define what might be the most predictive signs and symptoms to watch for. The results of these inquires were then linked to an intervention where a team can be summoned based on these changes in a patient’s condition to attempt to halt the progression to a more severe situation or even an arrest. This idea has matured from the early Medical Emergency Teams (METs) piloted in Australia and the US to more comprehensive and diverse systems that include Rapid Response Teams (RRTs), Critical Care Outreach Teams (CCOTs) and other strategies to bring additional resources to the bedside of a patient developing a critical illness. While this strategy makes intuitive sense and has strong face validity, is it supported by the evidence? Do RRSs improve patient safety and quality of care and are they cost-effective? In this chapter we will review the published literature for RRSs to try and address these questions.
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Winters, B.D., Pham, J.C. (2011). Rapid Response Systems: A Review of the Evidence. 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_7
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