Implementing a rapid response system

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Implementing a rapid response system (formerly, medical emergency response) requires an organisation to address ‘patient’ ownership as well as rights and requirements to call for help when a patient is deteriorating. This is intuitively sensible but requires a major cultural shift in many organisations.

Toolkit

Implementing a rapid response system (409kb, pdf)

Tools

Rapid Response System - Audit Tool (62kb, MS word)

FAQs

Safer Systems Saving Lives FAQs - February 2006 (327kb, pdf)

The data collection period is 1-28 Feb, but I note that the RRS data collection is a 2 monthly audit to a maximum of 30 patients. Does that mean that the next data collection period will be in April and the 30 patients need to come from Feb only?

We are suggesting the 2 monthly cycle for RRS data collection begin with March-April. Data submitted at the beginning of March should be considered as ‘baseline’ and may represent February only or sites can be more retrospective if they desire.

References

1. Bellomo R, Goldsmith D, Uchino S, Bickmaster J, Hart GK, Opdam H, Silvester W, Doolan L and Gutteridge G. 2003. ‘A prospective before-and-after trial of a medical emergency team’, Medical Journal of Australia, Volume 179, pp. 282-287.
   
   http://www.mja.com.au/public/rop/met/bel10089_fm.html (External link)

2. Bristow PJ, Hillman KM, Chey T, Daffurn K, Jacques TC, Norman SL, Bishop GF, and Simmons EG. 2000. ‘Rates of in-hospital arrests, deaths and intensive care admissions: the effect of the medical emergency team’, Medical Journal of Australia, Volume 173, pp. 236-240.
   
   http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/173_05_040900/bristow/bristow.html (External link)

3. Buist MD, Moore GE, Bernard SA, Waxman BP, Anderson JN, Nguyen TV. 2002. 'Effects of a Medical Emergency Teams on reduction of incidence of and mortality from unexpected cardiac arrests in hospital: preliminary study', BMJ, Volume 324, pp. 387-390.
   

Bibliography

• Kerridge RK and Saul WP, 2003. ‘The medical emergency team, evidence-based medicine and ethics’, Medical Journal of Australia, Volume 179, pp. 313-315.
  
  http://www.mja.com.au/public/rop/met/ker10185_fm.html (External link)

• Kerridge RK, 2000. ‘The medical emergency team: no evidence to justify not implementing change’, Medical Journal of Australia, Volume 173, pp. 228-229.
  
  http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/173_05_040900/kerridge/kerridge.html (External link)

• Moss JE, Flower CL, Houghton LM, Moss DL, Nielsen DA and McD Taylor 2002. ‘A multidisciplinary Care Coordination Team improves emergency department discharge planning practice,’ Medical Journal of Australia, Volume 177, pp. 435-439.
  
  http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/177_08_211002/mos10160_fm.html (External link)

• Harrison GA, Jacques TC, Kilborn G and McLaws ML, 'The prevalence of recordings of the signs of critical conditions and emergency responses in hospital wards-the SOCCER study', Resuscitation, Volume 65, Issue 2, May 2005, Pages 149-157
  
  doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2004.11.017 (External link)

• Hillman K, Chen J, Cretikos M, Bellomo R, Brown D, Doig G, Finfer S, Flabouris A., 'The introduction of the medical emergency team (MET) system: a cluster-randomised controlled trial', The Lancet, Volume 365, 18 June 2005, pages 2091-2097.
  
  The introduction of the medical emergency team (MET) system (163kb, pdf)

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