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Study finds children's hospitals benefit from rapid response teams

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, November 28, 2007

Children's hospitals with a rapid response team (RRT) can reduce the rates of patient deaths, heart attacks, and respiratory arrests once the pediatric patients have left the intensive care unit, according to a new study published in the November 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, CA, looked at the number of patient deaths and cardio respiratory arrests before and after RRTs were brought on board in September 1, 2005. The monthly mortality rate decreased 18% while cardiopulmonary arrests declined by nearly 72%. Researchers saw a decline in both numbers only a month after RRTs were added, and about 33 lives were saved during the 19 months.

While numerous studies have shown RRTs can help decrease mortality and code rates in adults, research in children is lacking.  This is only the third research paper to evaluate the effect RRTs can have on mortality and code rates in hospitalized children. However, it is the first paper to show a decrease in death rates, according to the Journal.

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