Rapid Response Systems
Hospital wide structure that provides a safety net for deteriorating patients who have a mismatch between their clinical needs and the local resources available to manage them.
Intensive care has a clear role in RRS delivery and governance.
Requirements
Components
- Defined process for identification of patient deterioration
- System for triggering a tasked team response
- Administrative
- Quality improvement
Staffing
- Outreach personnel additional to those managing internal patients
- Enough staff to immediately (<10 minutes) attend RRS activation
- >2000 activations/year requires:
- Separate ICU medical and nurse rostered exclusively to RRT
- Separate specialist roster for RRS oversight
- >2000 activations/year requires:
- <25% of trainee time should be outreach
Operational
- FCICM designated as clinical lead
- Regular meetings with RRS staff to identify and resolve issues
- Appropriate equipment availability