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Web site spotlight: Make rapid response team education a priority before the New Year

Nurse Leader Weekly, November 24, 2008

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For facilities watching the clock wind down on their time to implement The Joint Commission's (formerly JCAHO) National Patient Safety Goal 16.01.01, reflecting on the fundamental pieces of what staff members must know about your early warning system is vital.

Before an early warning system for patient deterioration goes live to the whole facility, be certain staff members are aware of the criteria for calling a rapid response team (RRT).

Glenn Krasker, president of Critical Management Solutions, a healthcare consulting firm based in Wilmington, DE, advises hospitals develop clearly articulated criteria for when the response team will be called. Krasker says some organizations he has worked with tell nursing staff to call an RRT whenever there is concern over a patient's condition and the physician is not responding. Although those instructions are not necessarily bad, he says surveyors are going to ask to see the criteria for calling an RRT in writing and will use the criteria as a starting point for tracing that process within the organization.

Editor's note: This excerpt was adapted from the article, "Early warning system to be surveyed in January" featured in The Reading Room on HCPro's online resource center, www.StrategiesforNurseManagers.com. Get a free trial membership that will give you 30 days to test drive all the exciting features on the Web site.

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