Abstract 325: Two-Year Outcomes of an Electronic Health Record Integrated Rapid Response Team Model
Dustin Tart, Kelly Kester, Catie Dunn, Adam Glenn, Rosimeire Santos, Bradi B Granger, Cara L O'Brien- Physiology (medical)
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Background: Literature supports improved patient outcomes with dedicated resources for rapid response to patient deterioration in inpatient settings. However, studies of the association of centralized resource allocation and electronic health record (EHR) integration on patient outcomes are lacking.
Aim: To improve early, centralized rapid response to patient deterioration and reduce unanticipated transfers to the ICU.
Methods: Using a prospective longitudinal quality improvement design, we implemented a centralized, EHR supported patient response team (PRT) at an academic medical center in the southeastern United States. The model served 1,043 inpatient beds. Pre-intervention the PRT used episodic data capture and included 1 critical care RN, 1 physician, and 1 respiratory therapist; each expected to leave assigned patients to respond to non-ICU events. We implemented a dedicated PRT (4 critical care RNs and 1 hospitalist) to provide 24/7 response to code blue, RRT, and stroke code events. The team provided proactive rounding, preventive consultation, and assessment of patients from ICU or emergency within 24 hours. Standardized workflow and outcome documentation was integrated in the EHR. Improvement in processes and outcomes were analyzed using statistical process control charts with 25 data points over a 2-year period.
Results: At baseline (FY 2020), the PRT responded to 1739 rapid response calls and 166 code blue events. Unanticipated transfer to ICU occurred in 935 (53.8%) patients. Post-implementation of the integrated PRT model, the rate of early rapid response calls improved (FY 2021 n=2099; FY 2022 n=2239), code blue events decreased (FY 2021 n=151; FY 2022 n=115), and unanticipated ICU transfers also decreased (25%; Figure 1).
Conclusions: A centralized PRT model using technology-supported EHR integration, pre-defined workflows, and a dedicated team can reduce non-ICU cardiac arrests and decrease unanticipated transfers to ICU.