Evolution and Evidence for Rapid Response Teams (DRAFT)
A rapid response system (RRS) is a program designed to respond in a timely, organized, and comprehensive manner to a patient’s urgent unmet medical need within a healthcare facility. The goals of the rapid response team (RRT) are to restore homeostasis, prevent further physiologic deterioration, and establish an optimal environment of care. RRTs are now in widespread use in the US because of the Joint Commission’s national patient safety goals, which required that healthcare organizations improve recognition and response to changes in a patient’s condition. Recent meta-analyses have now concluded that RRT is effective in reducing the incidence of cardiac arrests within hospitals. There is still controversy, however, on the impact of RRT on ultimate clinical outcomes, including mortality. In this chapter, we review the history and evolution of RRTs, rationale for its existence, its impact on patient outcomes, and current controversies.