Abstract
A rapid response system (RRS) is a way of identifying a seriously ill or deteriorating patient and linking it to a rapid response by clinicians with the appropriate skills and knowledge necessary to manage the patient. Like ICUs, the widespread implementation of RRSs is simply another intervention, developed around the needs of seriously ill or deteriorating patients. It is no coincidence that many of the systems are operated by clinicians trained in intensive care medicine. The level of illness and outcomes for patients in intensive care and those subject to rapid response calls is comparable. In other words, whether in the ICU or outside it, these patients require clinicians with high levels of skills, experience, and knowledge. There is, as yet, no conclusive data on the most accurate triggering criteria, or on the ideal responding staff. There is some early evidence that hospitals with RRSs significantly reduce the mortality and cardiac arrest rates and the concept has now been adopted in many hospitals around the world.
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Hillman, K., Chen, J. (2014). Rapid Response Systems. In: Scales, D., Rubenfeld, G. (eds) The Organization of Critical Care. Respiratory Medicine, vol 18. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0811-0_12
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