Rapid response system evaluation and development of standardized treatment guidelines

Purpose of project: The Rapid Response System is a widely instituted healthcare practice aimed at rescuing hospitalized deteriorating patients who are outside of the intensive care units. This Doctor of Nursing Practice project analyzed rapid response event data in a tertiary hospital in Northern New Jersey for trends and patterns to identify areas of quality in the program and areas that require improvement to meet evidence-based treatment guidelines. Methodology: This project used a retrospective chart review of rapid response events involving adult patients admitted to a tertiary hospital in Northern New Jersey from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2018. Results: A total of 934 rapid response activations involving 675 adult patients over 737 hospital admissions were analyzed. There were activations that occurred once 587 (62.7%) for patients. Over 50% of the patients were 70 years old and above and had the most in-hospital cardiac arrests, initiation of a DNR order, and mortality. They comprised most of those who experienced multiple clinical deteriorating events and rapid response activations. Of the 168 patients transferred to a higher level of care, 71.3% survived their hospital stay. Overall, 15.4% of the patient experienced mortality and 1.8% experienced in-hospital cardiac arrest. Discussion/Implication for Practice: Understanding rapid response events and characteristics of patients who would likely require rapid response intervention is important in the early identification of deterioration and thus intervention for acutely ill patients.D.N.P.Includes bibliographical reference