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Background and objectives The addition of a pharmacist to rapid response teams (RRT) has been shown to improve adherence to advanced cardiac life support protocols and to decrease mortality. A quality improvement study was initiated at a single center to evaluate the addition of a pharmacist to the RRT during cardiopulmonary arrest. Methods Data were prospectively collected on pharmacy response time and interventions performed. In addition, a pre- and post-intervention survey of the interprofessional medical emergency response improvement team (MERIT) was performed to assess the perception of pharmacist involvement. Results From April to November 2019, the pharmacists responded to 19 RRT activations for cardiopulmonary arrest. An average of 29.8 minutes were spent at each event and an average of 5.5 interventions per event were made. The most common intervention made by pharmacists was medication procurement (54 interventions), followed by providing drug information (14 interventions). Pharmacists also ensured medication reimbursement (13 interventions). The majority of the MERIT strongly agreed or agreed that the addition of a pharmacist to RRT activations improved teamwork (83.1%), decreased medication turnaround time (84.6%), decreased medication errors (66.7%), and may have prevented a poor outcome (71.8%) in the post-implementation survey. Conclusion Overall, pharmacists demonstrated value as a member of the RRT during cardiopulmonary arrest. The addition of a pharmacist was well received by interprofessional members of the MERIT.

Aim We aimed to evaluate neurological profiles of patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) from early time points to long-term follow-up periods. Methods For this prospective cohort study, we established a neurological rapid response team, and serially evaluated the neurological status of patients with IHCA from the initial resuscitation to 12 months after the onset of IHCA. The primary outcome was good neurological status defined as a Clinical Performance Category score of 1–2 at 12 months after IHCA. The secondary outcomes included the awakening and neurological recovery during the first week, the survival and neurological status at hospital discharge, and the survival at 12 months. Results A total of 291 adult patients with IHCA were included. On the first day and during the first week after IHCA, the awakening was achieved in 61 (21.0 %) and 119 patients (40.9 %), respectively; and neurological recovery in 12 (4.1 %) and 46 patients (15.8 %), respectively. Epileptic seizures developed in 9.7 % following restoration of spontaneous circulation. At hospital discharge, 106 patients (36.4 %) had survived; among them, 63.2 % showed good neurological status. At 12 months, 63 (21.6 %) patients survived; among them, 81.7 % showed good neurological status (17.0 % among all patients with IHCA). Of patients without awakening during the first 3 and 7 days, 2.7 % and 1.2 % showed good neurological status at 12 months, respectively. Conclusions Among patients with IHCA, awakening and neurological recovery were remarkable throughout the first week. Survival and good neurological status were substantial at 12 months after IHCA.

Background: Although a rapid response system (RRS) can reduce the incidence of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in general wards, avoidable CPR cases still occur. This study aimed to investigate the incidence and causes of avoidable CPR. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all adult patients who received CPR between April 2013 and March 2016 (35 months) at a tertiary teaching hospital where a part-time RRS was introduced in October 2012. Four experts reviewed all of the CPR cases and determined whether each event was avoidable. Results: A total of 192 CPR cases were identified, and the incidence of CPR was 0.190 per 1,000 patient admissions. Of these, 56 (29.2%) were considered potentially avoidable, with the most common cause being doctor error (n=32, 57.1%), followed by delayed do-not-resuscitate (DNR) placement (n=12, 21.4%) and procedural complications (n=5, 8.9%). The percentage of avoidable CPR was significantly lower in the RRS operating time group than in the RRS non-operating time group (20.7% vs. 35.5%; P=0.026). Among 44 avoidable CPR events (excluding cases related to DNR issues), the rapid response team intervened in only three cases (6.8%), and most of the avoidable CPR cases (65.9%) occurred during the non-operating time. Conclusions: A significant number of avoidable CPR events occurred with a well-functioning, part-time RRS in place. However, RRS operation does appear to lower the occurrence of avoidable CPR. Thus, it is necessary to extend RRS operation time and modify RRS activation criteria. Moreover, policy and cultural changes are needed prior to implementing a full-time RRS.

Background The NSW Clinical Excellence commission introduced the 'Between the Flags' programme, in response to the death of a young patient, as a system-wide approach for early detection and management of the deteriorating patient in all NSW hospitals. The impact of BTF implementation on the 35 larger hospitals with intensive care units (ICU) has not been reported previously. Aim To assess the impact of 'Between the Flags' (BTF), a two-tier rapid response system across 35 hospitals with an ICU in NSW, on the incidence of in-hospital cardiac arrests and the incidence and outcome of patients admitted to an ICU following cardiac arrest and rapid response team activation. Methods This is a prospective observational study of the BTF registry (August 2010 to June 2016) and the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Adult Patient Database (January 2008 to December 2016) in 35 New South Wales public hospitals with an ICU. The primary outcome studied was the proportion of in-hospital cardiac arrests. Secondary outcomes included changes in the severity of illness and outcomes of cardiac arrest admissions to the ICU and changes in the volume of rapid response calls. Results The cardiac arrest rate per 1000 hospital admissions declined from 0.91 in the implementation period to 0.70. Propensity score analysis showed significant declines in ICU and hospital mortality and length of stay for cardiac arrest patients admitted to the ICU (all P Conclusions The BTF programme was associated with a significant reduction in cardiac arrests in hospitals and ICU admissions secondary to cardiac arrests in 35 NSW hospitals with an ICU.

Introduction:The efficacy of a specialized pediatric cardiac rapid response team is unknown. We hypothesized that a specialized cardiac rapid response team would facilitate team-wide communication between the cardiac stepdown unit and cardiac intensive care unit (ICU) teams and improve patient care.Materials and methods:A specialized pediatric cardiac rapid response team was implemented in June 2015. All pediatric cardiac rapid response team activations and outcomes from implementation through December 2018 were reviewed. Cardiac arrests and unplanned transfers to the cardiac ICU were indexed to 1000 patient-days to account for inpatient volume trends and evaluated over time.Results:There were 202 cardiac rapid response team activations in 108 unique patients during the study period. After implementation of the pediatric cardiac rapid response team, unplanned transfers from the cardiac stepdown unit to the cardiac ICU decreased from 16.8 to 7.1 transfers per 1000 patient days (p = 0.012). The stepdown unit cardiac arrest rate decreased from 1.2 to 0.0 arrests per 1000 patient-days (p = 0.015). There was one death on the cardiac stepdown unit in the 5 years since the implementation of the cardiac rapid response team, compared to four deaths in the previous 5 years.Conclusions:A reduction in unplanned cardiac ICU transfers, cardiac arrests, and mortality on the cardiac stepdown unit has been observed since the implementation of a specialized pediatric cardiac rapid response team. A specialized cardiac rapid response team may improve communication and empower the interdisciplinary care team to escalate care for patients experiencing clinical decline.

Background Kurdistan province of Iran is among disaster prone areas of the country. The Primary Health Care facilities in Iran deliver health services at all levels nationwide. Resiliency and flexibility of such facilities is important when a disaster occurs. Thus, evaluating functional, structural, and non-structural aspects of safety of such facilities is essential. Methods In this cross-sectional study, the instrument used to evaluate four sections of functional, structural, non-structural, and total safety of 805 healthcare facilities in Kurdistan Province was the safety evaluation checklist of primary healthcare centers, provided by the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education. Each section scored from 0 to 100 points, and each section of the safety was classified to three safety classes according to their total score: low (≤34.0), average (34.01–66.0) and high (> 66.0). Results The levels of functional, structural, non-structural and total safety were equal to 23.8, 20.2, 42.3 and 28.7, out of 100, respectively. Regarding the functional safety, rapid response team scored the highest, while financial affairs scored the lowest. Nevertheless, in structural and non-structural sections, the scores of different items were almost similar. Conclusions The results of the study revealed that safety score of primary healthcare facilities in general was unsatisfactory. Thus, promoting preparedness, resilience and continuity of service delivery of these facilities are essential to response to disasters and emergencies. The finding of this study could be beneficial for national and provincial decision-makers and policymakers in this regard.

Background Decompensating patients require expeditious and focused care at the bedside. This can be particularly challenging when there are multiple layers of providers, each with differing specialisation, experience and autonomy. We examined the impact of our intensivist-driven hospital-wide rapid response team (RRT) at our 1171-bed quaternary care centre. Design Single-centre retrospective cohort study. Methods RRT service was implemented to assess, manage and triage acutely ill patients outside the intensive care unit (ICU). Criteria for consultation and workflow were established. The 24/7 team was led by an intensivist and included nurse practitioners and respiratory therapists. Over 3 years, we reviewed the impact of the RRT on patient outcomes and critical care support beyond the ICU. Results Over 3 years, the RRT received 31 392 consults for 12 122 individual patients averaging 30 consults over 24 hours. 58.9% of the calls received were for sepsis alerts/risk of decompensation and 41.1% of the consults were for reasons of acute decompensation. Among patients that were seen by the RRT, over the course of their hospital stay, 14% were upgraded to a step-down unit, 18% were upgraded to the ICU and 68% completed care without requiring any escalation. The average mortality rate for patients seen by the RRT service during their hospital stay was 11.3% with an average 30-day readmission rate of 16.5% and average hospital length of stay 16 days without significant variation between the 3 years. Conclusions Intensivist-led RRT ensured consistent high value care. Early intervention and consistent supervision enabled timely and efficient delivery of critical care services.

Aim The efficiency of rapid response teams (RRTs) is decreased by delays in activation of RRT (afferent limb failure, ALF). We categorized ALF by organ systems and investigated correlations with the vital signs subsequently observed by the RRT and associations with mortality. Methods International, multicentre, retrospective cohort study including adult RRT patients without treatment limitations in 2017–2018 in one Australian and two Finnish tertiary hospitals. Results A total of 5,568 RRT patients’ first RRT activations were included. In 927 patients (17%) ALF was present within 4 h before the RRT call, most commonly for respiratory criteria (419 patients, 7.5%). In 3516 patients (63%) overall, and in 756 (82%) of ALF patients, the RRT observed abnormal vital signs upon arrival. The organ-specific ALF corresponded to the RRT observations in 52% of cases for respiratory criteria, in 60% for haemodynamic criteria, in 55% for neurological criteria and in 52% of cases for multiple organ criteria. Only ALF for respiratory criteria was associated with increased hospital mortality (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.29–2.27), whereas all, except haemodynamic, criteria at the time of RRT review were associated with increased hospital mortality. Conclusions Vital signs were rarely normal upon RRT arrival in patients with ALF, while organ-specific ALF corresponded to subsequent RRT observations in just over half of cases. Our results suggest that systems mandating timely responses to abnormal respiratory criteria in particular may have potential to improve deteriorating patient outcomes.

Behavioral emergencies endanger hospital staff and patients. The objective of this study was to identify patient characteristics that could be used to predict and prevent these incidents.We analyzed a one-year consecutive series of behavioral emergencies that triggered the rapid response team at a general hospital, comparing study patients with controls who did not trigger a rapid response. Standard parametric or nonparametric tests, as appropriate, were used to compare the 2 groups in univariate analyses, and multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the best combination of variables for stratifying the risk of such an event.There were 109 behavioral emergencies involving 83 patients. Comparison of patients who did (n = 83) or did not (n = 22,849) trigger a rapid response revealed marked differences between the two groups with respect to age, sex, and the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities and various conditions that can diminish cognitive function. Substance use disorder was the most frequent principal diagnosis in the study group, accounting for 10.8% (9/83) of study patients vs. 0.6% (132/22849) of controls (p 0.0001). The presence of a condition that can impair cognition (substance intoxication and withdrawal, epilepsy, cerebrovascular disease, traumatic brain injury, delirium, dementia) was associated with a 13-fold increase in the risk of a behavioral disturbance (95% CI, 8 to 22-fold).Brief cognitive assessment of patients susceptible to cognitive impairment, along with diligent prophylaxis and management of substance withdrawal and delirium, may facilitate prevention of behavioral emergencies.

Capillary refill time (CRT) is easy, quick to perform and when prolonged in critical illness, correlates with progression of organ failure and mortality. It is utilized in our hospital's early warning score (EWS) as one of 11 parameters. We sought to define CRT's value in predicting patient outcomes, compared to the remaining EWS elements.Five-year prospective observational study of 6480 consecutive Rapid Response Team (RRT) patients. CRT measured at the index finger was considered prolonged if time to previous-color return was3 s. We analyzed the odds ratio of normal vs prolonged-CRT, compared to the other EWS variables, to individual and combined outcomes of mortality, cardiac arrest and higher-level of care transfer.Twenty-percent (N = 1329) of RRT-patients had prolonged-CRT (vs normal-CRT), were twice as likely to die (36% vs 17.8%, p .001), more likely to experience the combined outcome (72.1% vs 54.2%, p .001) and had longer hospital length of stays, 15.3 (SD 0.3) vs 13.5 days (SD 0.5) (p .001). Multivariable logistic regression for mortality ranked CRT second to hypoxia among all 11 variables evaluated (p 001).This is the first time CRT has been evaluated in RRT patients. Its measurement is easy to perform and proves useful as an assessment of adult patients at-risk for clinical decline. Its prolongation in our population was an independent predictor of mortality and the combined outcome. This study and others suggest that CRT should be considered further as a fundamental assessment of patients at-risk for clinical decline.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effect of providing early attending physician involvement via telemedicine to improve the decision process of rapid response teams. DESIGN Quasi-experimental; three pairs of control/intervention months: June/July; August/October; November/December. SETTING Single-center, urban, quaternary academic children's hospital with three-member rapid response team: critical care fellow or nurse practitioner, nurse, respiratory therapist. Baseline practice: rapid response team leader reviewed each evaluation with an ICU attending physician within 2 hours after return to ICU. SUBJECTS 1) Patients evaluated by rapid response team, 2) rapid response team members. INTERVENTIONS Implementation of a smartphone-based telemedicine platform to facilitate early co-assessment and disposition planning between the rapid response team at the patient's bedside and the attending in the ICU. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS As a marker of efficiency, the primary provider outcome was time the rapid response team spent per patient encounter outside the ICU prior to disposition determination. The primary patient outcome was percentage of patients requiring intubation or vasopressors within 60 minutes of ICU transfer. There were three pairs of intervention/removal months. In the first 2 pairs, the intervention was associated with the rapid response team spending less time on rapid response team calls (June/July: point estimate -5.24 min per call; p < 0.01; August/October: point estimate -3.34 min per call; p < 0.01). During the first of the three pairs, patients were significantly less likely to require intubation or vasopressors within 60 minutes of ICU transfer (adjusted odds ratio, 0.66; 95 CI, 0.51-0.84; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Early in the study, more rapid ICU attending involvement via telemedicine was associated with rapid response team providers spending less time outside the ICU, and among patients transferred to the ICU, a significant decrease in likelihood of patients requiring vasopressors or intubation within the first 60 minutes of transfer. These findings provide evidence that early ICU attending involvement via telemedicine can improve efficiency of rapid response team evaluations.

Surgical comanagement (SCM), in which surgeons and hospitalists share responsibility of care for surgical patients, has been increasingly utilized. In August 2012, we implemented SCM in Orthopedic and Neurosurgery services in which the same Internal Medicine hospitalists are dedicated year round to each of these surgical services to proactively prevent and manage medical conditions. In this article, we evaluate if SCM was associated with continued improvement in patient outcomes between 2012 and 2018 in Orthopedic and Neurosurgery services at our institution. We conducted regression analysis on 26,380 discharges to assess yearly change in our outcomes. Since 2012, the odds of patients with ≥1 medical complication decreased by 3.8% per year (P = .01), the estimated length of stay decreased by 0.3 days per year (P < .0001), and the odds of rapid response team calls decreased by 12.2% per year (P = .001). Estimated average direct cost savings were $3,424 per discharge.

Aims and objectives To examine the relationship between resuscitation status and (i) patient characteristics; (ii) transfer characteristics; and (iii) patient outcomes following an emergency inter-hospital transfer from a subacute to an acute care hospital. Background Patients who experience emergency inter-hospital transfers from subacute to acute care hospitals have high rates of acute care readmission (81%) and in-hospital mortality (15%). Design This prospective, exploratory cohort study was a subanalysis of data from a larger case-time-control study in five Health Services in Victoria, Australia. There were 603 transfers in 557 patients between August 2015 and October 2016. The study was conducted in accordance with the STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology guidelines. Methods Data were extracted by medical record audit. Three resuscitation categories (full resuscitation; limitation of medical treatment (LOMT) orders; or not-for-cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) orders) were compared using chi-square or Kruskal-Wallis tests. Stratified multivariable proportional hazard Cox regression models were used to account for health service clustering effect. Findings Resuscitation status was 63.5% full resuscitation; 23.1% LOMT order; and 13.4% not-for-CPR. Compared to patients for full resuscitation, patients with not-for-CPR or LOMT orders were more likely to have rapid response team calls during acute care readmission or to die during hospitalisation. Patients who were not-for-CPR were less likely to be readmitted to acute care and more likely to return to subacute care. Conclusions Two-thirds of patients in subacute care who experienced an emergency inter-hospital transfer were for full resuscitation. Although the proportion of patients with LOMT and not-for-CPR orders increased after transfer, there were deficiencies in the documentation of resuscitation status and planning for clinical deterioration for subacute care patients. Relevance to clinical practice As many subacute care patients experience clinical deterioration, patient preferences for care need to be discussed and documented early in the subacute care admission.

Background The utilization of a rapid response team (RRT) has influenced the clinical outcomes of patients in the general ward. However, the characteristics of RRT-screened patients who are transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) are unknown. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate these factors. Methods We conducted a retrospective study using patient data from a tertiary medical center in Republic of Korea between January 2016 and December 2017. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the factors associated with the risk of in-hospital mortality. Results A total of 1,096 patients were included: 389 patients were transferred to the ICU, and 707 patients stayed in the ward. Patients in the ICU group were more likely to be admitted for medical reasons, hepatobiliary disease, and high heart rate. More interventions were performed, hospital stays were longer, and the 28-day and in-hospital mortality rates were higher in the ICU group than in the ward group. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that risk factors affecting ICU admission were higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, National Early Warning Score (NEWS), platelet count, and lactate level. ICU transfer was not associated with in-hospital mortality. Conclusions Among RRT-screened patients, those with higher SOFA score, NEWS, and lactate level were more likely to be transferred to the ICU. Therefore, these patients should be closely monitored and considered for ICU transfer.

Pulmonary embolism response teams (PERT) aim to improve treatment of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). PERT focus on intermediate- and high-risk PE patients, but recent multicenter studies show that low-risk PE patients compose one in five of all PERT cases. Conversely, not all intermediate- and high-risk PE patients elicit a PERT activation. The factors leading to PERT activations remain unknown. This study aims to describe the patient characteristics associated with PERT activation for low-risk PE patients and characteristics precluding PERT activation for intermediate/high-risk PE patients. We analysed data from all patients with confirmed PE diagnosed in the Massachusetts General Hospital Emergency Department from August 2013 to February 2017 and cross-referred these data with patients who received a PERT activation and patients who did not. Patients were stratified into low-risk or intermediate/high-risk PE. Univariate analyses were performed within each risk group comparing patients with a PERT activation and patients without. Fifteen percent (56/374) of low-risk PE patients triggered a PERT activation. Patient characteristics associated with PERT activation were: (1) vascular disease, (2) pulmonary diseases, (3) thrombophilia, (4) current use of anticoagulants, (5) central PE and (6) concurrent DVT. Thirty-five percent (110/283) of intermediate/high-risk PE patients did not elicit a PERT activation. Patient characteristics precluding a PERT activation were: (1) vascular disease, (2) malignancies and (3) asymptomatic presentation. Low-risk PE patients with PERT activations had more extensive clot burden, complex comorbidities, or had failed anticoagulation treatment. Intermediate/high-risk PE patients without PERT activations tended to have malignancies or vascular disease.

Background Medical emergency teams (METs) have been implemented to reduce hospital mortality by the early recognition and treatment of potentially life-threatening conditions. The objective of this study was to establish a clinically useful association between clinical variables and mortality risk, among patients assessed by the MET, and further to design an easy-to-use risk score for the prediction of death within 30 days. Methods Observational retrospective register study in a tertiary university hospital in Sweden, comprising 2,601 patients, assessed by the MET from 2010 to 2015. Patient registry data at the time of MET assessment was analysed from an epidemiological perspective, using univariable and multivariable analyses with death within 30 days as the outcome variable. Predictors of outcome were defined from age, gender, type of ward for admittance, previous medical history, acute medical condition, vital parameters and laboratory biomarkers. Identified factors independently associated with mortality were then used to develop a prognostic risk score for mortality. Results The overall 30-day mortality was high (29.0%). We identified thirteen factors independently associated with 30-day mortality concerning; age, type of ward for admittance, vital parameters, laboratory biomarkers, previous medical history and acute medical condition. A MET risk score for mortality based on the impact of these individual thirteen factors in the model yielded a median (range) AUC of 0.780 (0.774–0.785) with good calibration. When corrected for optimism by internal validation, the score yielded a median (range) AUC of 0.768 (0.762–0.773). Conclusions Among clinical variables available at the time of MET assessment, thirteen factors were found to be independently associated with 30-day mortality. By applying a simple risk scoring system based on these individual factors, patients at higher risk of dying within 30 days after the MET assessment may be identified and treated earlier in the process.

Aim: Early identification of patients at risk of serious adverse events (SAEs) is of vital importance, yet it remains a challenging task. We investigated the predictive power of National Early Warning Score (NEWS) 2, as compared to NEWS, among patients assessed by a Rapid response team (RRT). Methods: Prospective, observational cohort study on 898 consecutive patients assessed by the RRTs in 26 Swedish hospitals. For each patient, NEWS and NEWS 2 scores were uniformly calculated by the study team. The associations of NEWS and NEWS 2 scores with unanticipated admissions to Intensive care unit (ICU), mortality and in-hospital cardiac arrests (IHCA) within 24 h, and the composite of these three events were investigated using logistic regression. The predictive power of NEWS and NEWS 2 was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves. Results: The prognostic accuracy of NEWS/NEWS 2 in predicting mortality was acceptable (AUROC 0.69/0.67). In discriminating the composite outcome and unanticipated ICU admission, both NEWS and NEWS 2 were relatively weak (AUROC 0.62/0.62 and AUROC 0.59/0.60 respectively); for IHCA the performance was poor. There were no differences between NEWS and NEWS 2 as to the predictive power. Conclusion: The prognostic accuracy of NEWS 2 to predict mortality within 24 h was acceptable. However, the prognostic accuracy of NEWS 2 to predict IHCA was poor. NEWS and NEWS 2 performed similar in predicting the risk of SAEs but their performances were not sufficient for use as a risk stratification tool in patients assessed by a RRT.

Background Rapid response systems (RRSs) are essential components of patient safety systems; however, limited evidence exists regarding their effectiveness and optimal structures. We aimed to assess the activation patterns and outcomes of RRS implementation with/without a real-time automatic alerting system (AAS) based on electronic medical records (EMRs). Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of patients for whom the RRS was activated in the surgical wards of a tertiary university hospital. We compared the code rate, in-hospital mortality, unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and other clinical outcomes before and after applying RRS and AAS as follows: pre-RRS (January 2013–July 2015), RRS without AAS (August 2015–November 2016), and RRS with AAS (December 2016–December 2017). Results In-hospital mortality per 1000 admissions decreased from 15.1 to 12.9 after RRS implementation (p p Conclusions Real-time AAS based on EMRs might help identify unstable patients. Early detection and intervention with RRS may improve patient outcomes.

Background Rapid response teams are intended to improve early diagnosis and intervention in ward patients who develop acute respiratory or circulatory failure. A management protocol including the use of a handheld ultrasound device for immediate point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) examination at the bedside may improve team performance. The main objective of the study was to assess the impact of implementing such a POCUS-guided management on the proportion of adequate immediate diagnoses in two groups. Secondary endpoints included time to treatment and patient outcomes. Methods A prospective, observational, controlled study was conducted in a single university hospital. Two teams alternated every other day for managing in-hospital ward patients developing acute respiratory and/or circulatory failures. Only one of the team used an ultrasound device (POCUS group). Results We included 165 patients (POCUS group 83, control group 82). Proportion of adequate immediate diagnoses was 94% in the POCUS group and 80% in the control group (p = 0.009). Time to first treatment/intervention was shorter in the POCUS group (15 [10–25] min vs. 34 [15–40] min, p p = 0.007), but this difference was not confirmed in the propensity score sample (29% vs. 34%, p = 0.53). Conclusion Our study suggests that protocolized use of a handheld POCUS device at the bedside in the ward may improve the proportion of adequate diagnosis, the time to initial treatment and perhaps also survival of ward patients developing acute respiratory or circulatory failure. Clinical Trial Registration NCT02967809. Registered 18 November 2016, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02967809.

Background and Objectives: For effective function of the rapid response system (RRS), prompt identification of patients at a high risk of cardiac arrest and RRS activation without hesitation are important. This study aimed to identify clinical factors that increase the risk of intensive care unit (ICU) transfer and cardiac arrest to identify patients who are likely to develop serious conditions requiring ICU management and appropriate RRS activation in Japan. Materials and Methods: We performed a single-center, case control study among patients requiring a rapid response team (RRT) call from 2017 to 2020. We extracted the demographic data, vital parameters, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) and the fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) from the medical records at the time of RRT call. The patients were divided into two groups to identify clinical signs that correlated with the progression of clinical deterioration. Patient characteristics in the two groups were compared using statistical tests based on the distribution. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to identify the appropriate cut-off values of vital parameters or FiO2 that showed a significant difference between-group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify patient factors that were predictive of RRS necessity. Results: We analyzed the data of 65 patients who met our hospital’s RRT call criteria. Among the clinical signs in RRT call criteria, respiratory rate (RR) (p &lt, 0.01) and the needed FiO2 were significantly increased (p &lt, 0.01) in patients with severe disease course. ROC curve analysis revealed RR and needed FiO2 cut-off values of 25.5 breaths/min and 30%. The odds ratio for the progression of clinical deterioration was 40.5 times higher with the combination of RR ≥ 26 breaths/min and needed FiO2 ≥ 30%. Conclusions: The combined use of RR ≥ 26 breaths/min and needed FiO2 ≥ 30% might be valid for identifying patients requiring intensive care management.

Background Emergency department (ED) crowding is a frequent situation. To decrease this overload, patients without a life-threating condition are transferred to wards that offer ED support. This study aimed to evaluate if implementing a rapid response team (RRT) triggered by the modified early warning score (MEWS) in high-risk wards offering ED support is associated with decreased in-hospital mortality rate. Methods A before-and-after cross-sectional study compared in-hospital mortality rates before and after implementation of an RRT triggered by the MEWS ≥4 in two wards of a tertiary hospital that offer ED support. Results We included 6863 patients hospitalized in these wards before RRT implementation from July 2015 through June 2017 and 6944 patients hospitalized in these same wards after RRT implementation from July 2018 through June 2020. We observed a statistically significant decrease in the in-hospital mortality rate after intervention, 449 deaths/6944 hospitalizations [6.47% (95% confidence interval (CI) 5.91%– 7.07%)] compared to 534 deaths/6863 hospitalizations [7.78% (95% CI 7.17–8.44)] before intervention; with an absolute risk reduction of -1.31% (95% CI -2.20 –-0.50). Conclusion RRT trigged by the MEWS≥4 in high-risk wards that offer ED support was found to be associated with a decreased in-hospital mortality rate. A further cluster-randomized trial should evaluate the impact of this intervention in this setting.

BackgroundTimely recognition of the deteriorating inpatient remains challenging. Wearable monitoring systems (WMS) may augment current monitoring practices. However, there are many barriers to implementation in the hospital environment, and evidence describing the clinical impact of WMS on deterioration detection and patient outcome remains unclear.ObjectiveTo assess the impact of vital-sign monitoring on detection of deterioration and related clinical outcomes in hospitalised patients using WMS, in comparison with standard care.MethodsA systematic search was conducted in August 2020 using MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CENTRAL, Health Technology Assessment databases and grey literature. Studies comparing the use of WMS against standard care for deterioration detection and related clinical outcomes in hospitalised patients were included. Deterioration related outcomes (primary) included unplanned intensive care admissions, rapid response team or cardiac arrest activation, total and major complications rate. Other clinical outcomes (secondary) included in-hospital mortality and hospital length of stay. Exploratory outcomes included alerting system parameters and clinical trial registry information.ResultsOf 8706 citations, 10 studies with different designs met the inclusion criteria, of which 7 were included in the meta-analyses. Overall study quality was moderate. The meta-analysis indicated that the WMS, when compared with standard care, was not associated with significant reductions in intensive care transfers (risk ratio, RR 0.87; 95% confidence interval, CI 0.66–1.15), rapid response or cardiac arrest team activation (RR 0.84; 95% CI 0.69–1.01), total (RR 0.77; 95% CI 0.44–1.32) and major (RR 0.55; 95% CI 0.24–1.30) complications prevalence. There was also no statistically significant association with reduced mortality (RR 0.48; 95% CI 0.18–1.29) and hospital length of stay (mean difference, MD − 0.09; 95% CI − 0.43 to 0.44).ConclusionThis systematic review indicates that there is no current evidence that implementation of WMS impacts early deterioration detection and associated clinical outcomes, as differing design/quality of available studies and diversity of outcome measures make it difficult to reach a definite conclusion. Our narrative findings suggested that alarms should be adjusted to minimise false alarms and promote rapid clinical action in response to deterioration.PROSPERO Registration number:CRD42020188633.

Background:The utilization of a Rapid response team (RRT) has influenced patient’s clinical outcomes in the general ward. However, characteristics of RRT-screened patients admitted in the ward or transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate these factors.Methods:We conducted a retrospective study using patient’s data in a tertiary medical center in Korea between January 2016 and December 2017. Results: Total 1,096 patients were included; 389 patients were transferred to the ICU, and 707 patients stayed in the ward. The ICU group was more likely to be admitted for medical reasons, hepatobiliary disease, and high heart rate. More interventions were performed, hospital stays were longer, and 28-day and in-hospital mortality were higher in the ICU group. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that the risk factors affecting ICU admission were Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, and National Early Warning Score (NEWS), platelet and lactate level. Transfer to the ICU was not associated with in-hospital mortality.Conclusions: Among RRT-activated patients, those with higher SOFA, NEWS scores, and lactate levels were more likely to transfer to the ICU. Therefore, these patients should be closely monitored and considered for ICU transfer.

Objectives To characterize the rapid response team activations, and the patients receiving them, in the American Heart Association-sponsored Get With The Guidelines Resuscitation-Medical Emergency Team cohort between 2005 and 2015. Design Retrospective multicenter cohort study. Setting Three hundred sixty U.S. hospitals. Patients Consecutive adult patients experiencing rapid response team activation. Interventions Rapid response team activation. Measurements and main results The cohort included 402,023 rapid response team activations from 347,401 unique healthcare encounters. Respiratory triggers (38.0%) and cardiac triggers (37.4%) were most common. The most frequent interventions-pulse oximetry (66.5%), other monitoring (59.6%), and supplemental oxygen (62.0%)-were noninvasive. Fluids were the most common medication ordered (19.3%), but new antibiotic orders were rare (1.2%). More than 10% of rapid response teams resulted in code status changes. Hospital mortality was over 14% and increased with subsequent rapid response activations. Conclusions Although patients requiring rapid response team activation have high inpatient mortality, most rapid response team activations involve relatively few interventions, which may limit these teams' ability to improve patient outcomes.

Introduction During rapid response team (RRT) management of haemodynamic instability (HI), continuous non-invasive haemodynamic monitoring may provide supplemental physiological information. Objectives To continuously and non-invasively obtain the cardiac index (CI) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) in patients with HI at baseline and during RRT management using the ClearSight™ device. Methods We performed a prospective observational study in adult patients managed by the RRT for tachycardia or hypotension or both. We assessed changes from baseline in heart rate (HR), MAP, CI, stroke volume index (SVI) and systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI) (i) at 5-minutely intervals up to 20 min, and (ii) over the entire 20-min period. We analysed patients by RRT trigger (tachycardia/hypotension) and intervention (fluid bolus therapy [FBT]/ no FBT). Results We successfully recorded the CI in 47 of 50 (94%) patients. RRT reviews triggered by hypotension rather than tachycardia had a lower baseline HR (−45.4 bpm, p = Conclusions Continuous non-invasive measurement of haemodynamics during RRT management for HI was possible for 20 min. Patients with hypotension rather than tachycardia had lower baseline HR, MAP and CI values. There was a statistically significant but small increase in MAP at the 15–20 min time-block and overall, for both the tachycardia and FBT groups.

OBJECTIVES: To validate a scale to assess pediatric providers’ resuscitation and escalation of care self-efficacy and assess which provider characteristics and experiences may contribute to self-efficacy. METHODS: Cross-sectional cohort study performed at an academic children’s hospital. Pediatric nurses, respiratory therapists, and residents completed the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and Pediatric Resuscitation Self-Efficacy Scale (PRSES) as well as a survey assessing their experiences with pediatric escalation of care. RESULTS: Four hundred participants completed the GSES and PRSES. A total of 338 completed the survey, including 262 nurses, 51 respiratory therapists, and 25 residents. Cronbach α for the PRSES was 0.905. A factor analysis revealed 2 factors within the scale, with items grouped on the basis of expertise required. Multiple logistic regression analyses controlling for GSES score, number of code blue events participated, number of code blue events activated, number of rapid response team events participated, number of rapid response team response events called, performance on a knowledge assessment of appropriate escalation of care, and years of experience demonstrated that PRSES performance was significantly associated with GSES scores and number of escalation of care events (code blue and rapid response) previously participated in (R2 = 0.29, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The PRSES can be used to assess pediatric providers’ pediatric resuscitation self-efficacy and could be used to evaluate pediatric escalation of care interventions. Pediatric resuscitation self-efficacy is significantly associated with number of previous escalation of care experiences. In future studies, researchers should focus on assessing the impact of increased exposures to escalation of care, potentially via mock codes, to accelerate the acquisition of resuscitation self-efficacy.

Objective To determine if a hospital-wide symptom-based alcohol withdrawal protocol may result in significant clinical improvements to patient outcomes, safety, and hospital efficiency. Methods Retrospective/prospective cohort study between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016 (pre-protocol), and between March 1, 2017 and August 7, July 2017 (post-protocol). Pre-protocol patients were identified retrospectively using International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision codes (F10.1, F10.2, and Z71.4). Post-protocol patients were identified by the use of a unique alcohol withdrawal order set in their electronic medical record. The primary endpoint was average length of stay. Secondary outcomes included death, escalation of care as defined as requiring intensive care unit (ICU) consultation or the rapid response team, average ICU length of stay, respiratory failure, average benzodiazepine usage, and incidence of seizures. Results The study included 276 patients in the pre-protocol group and 145 patients in the post-protocol group. There was a significant reduction found in the primary endpoint of average length of stay (7.15 ± 6.5 days vs 5.7 ± 5.6 days; P=.02). There was a significant reduction in the average benzodiazepine use, use of adjunctive medications, need for ICU consultation or rapid response team, respiratory failure, average ICU length of stay, use of neurologic imaging, and the need for lumbar puncture. Conclusion Implementation of a Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol, Revised–based alcohol withdrawal protocol may significantly improve quality of care, patient safety, and treatment effectiveness in a large, mixed medical/surgical, urban community-based academic medical center.

Background There is a lack of knowledge about tasks intensive care unit liaison nurses (ICU LNs) perform during patient review, despite this role operating in at least 31 acute care hospitals in Australia. Objectives To evaluate the tasks that ICU LNs perform during patient review in the following referral subcategories: review after ICU discharge, rapid response team (RRT) review, and ward referral. Methods A 2-month prospective observational study using standardised case report forms to collect data on patients reviewed by ICU LNs in 20 Australian hospitals was conducted. Results From 3799 patients screened, 3542 were included, among whom 1933 (54.6%) were men, and the mean (standard deviation) age was 63 (19.4) years. The admitting units were surgical 1765 (49.8%) and medical 1696 (47.9%), and the breakdown of referral types were routine review after ICU discharge (1732; 47.9%), RRT review (1208; 34.1%), and ward referral (602; 17.0%). Patients subject to ward and RRT reviews were older, more likely to be medical admissions with less favourable vital signs on the initial review, and less likely to have repeat reviews. Of note, ward reviews were more likely to receive palliative care. Intensive care liaison nurse–initiated medication prescription and investigation ordering was uncommon. The most common interventions included consultation with medical staff, bedside education, adjusting oxygen flow and patient position, and directing the change in frequency of vital sign measurement. In-hospital mortality was lower in patients reviewed after ICU discharge (2.3%), compared with those after RRT review (2.8%) and ward referral (4.4%). Conclusions Most patients were reviewed after ICU discharge or in the context of the RRT. RRT and ward patients were less physiologically stable and more likely to die in hospital. The most common interventions performed by the ICU LN were nontechnical skills including clinical education, consultation with medical staff, and changes to vital sign frequency. Finally, the most common medication therapies administered related to intravenous therapy and electrolyte administration.

Background Frailty is common among acute hospital patients and might adversely affect recovery from inpatient cardiac arrest. Aim To assess the relationship between hospital admission characteristics, including frailty, and discharge outcome after in-hospital cardiac arrest. Methods Prospectively collected data were retrospectively analysed for all separations from a tertiary hospital during 2008-2017 that involved rapid response team attendance for cardiac arrest. Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS) and Charlson index of comorbidity were calculated from 'primary' and 'associated' International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, Australian Modification diagnoses. HFRS ≥5 was taken to signify frailty. Discharge home from hospital and death in hospital were modelled using logistic regression. Results There were 388 in-hospital arrest patients: 91% were aged ≥50 years, 34% were previously discharged in the past 6 months, 66% were unplanned admissions, 63% were non-cardiology-cardiothoracic admissions, 45% had a Charlson comorbidity index ≥2 and 19% were identified as frail. Discharge home occurred in 22%, discharge to another hospital 17% and death 62%. Of the frail patients, only 3 (4%) were discharged home, 12 (17%) were discharged to another hospital and 57 (79%) died in hospital. Fewer frail patients were discharged home compared with non-frail patients (4 vs 26%; odds ratio (OR) 0.13, P = 0.001). On multivariable analysis, patients were less likely to be discharged home if they had frailty (OR 0.24, P = 0.02), age ≥ 50 years (OR 0.36, P = 0.01), non-cardiology-cardiothoracic unit admission (OR 0.40, P = 0.001) and unplanned admission (OR 0.57, P = 0.04). Frail patients discharged to another hospital spent a median of 15 days (interquartile range 11-23) in the hospital post-arrest before leaving to continue inpatient care elsewhere. Frailty was associated with death in hospital on univariate analysis (79 vs 58%; OR 2.80, P = 0.001) but not after controlling for other factors. Conclusion Frail patients are unlikely to make a good recovery after in-hospital arrest. This should be taken into account when planning care with patients and their families.

Previous publications noted increased mortality risk in patients subject to repeat rapid response team (RRT) calls. These patients were examined as a homogenous group, but there may be many reasons for repeat calls. Those potentially preventable by the rapid response system have not been investigated.In a retrospective cohort study, patients with potentially preventable repeat calls were classified into two categories: type 1 (patients who had a repeat call following an initial call that ended despite the patient still triggering RRT calling criteria [T1-PRC]) and type 2 (patients with a repeat call within 24 hours of an initial call and for the same reason [T2-PRC]). In-hospital mortality for these patients and for those with repeat calls for all other reasons (ORC) were compared to patients with only a single call during their admission (SC).Mortality occurred in 31 (43.7%) T1-PRC, 13 (15.1%) T2-PRC, 56 (28.9%) ORC, and 289 (13.9%) SC patients. Univariate odds ratios (ORs), in comparison to SC patients, were 4.81 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.96-7.81; p0.001), 1.10 (95% CI: 0.60-2.02; p = 0.75), and 2.52 (95% CI: 1.80-3.52; p0.001), respectively. Mortality effects persisted for the T1-PRC and ORC groups after adjustment for patient, admission, and initial call characteristics with ORs of 4.07 (95% CI: 2.36-7.01; p0.001) and 2.29 (95% CI: 1.57-3.34; p0.001), respectively.This study found that repeat calls following an initial call that ended with ongoing breach of predefined calling criteria were strongly associated with increased mortality. This highlights the risk to patients when the RRT leaves reversible clinical deterioration unresolved at the end of a call.

Background Unplanned escalations manifest as a breakdown of hospital care attributable to clinician error through missed or delayed identification of physiological instability, ineffective treatment, or iatrogenic harm. Objectives To examine the impact of an Early Warning Score-based proactive rapid response team model on the frequency of unplanned intra-hospital escalations in care compared with a rapid response team model based on staff nurse identification of vital sign derangements. Design Pre- and post Early Warning Score-guided proactive rapid response team model intervention. Setting 237-bed community hospital in the southeastern United States. Participants All hospitalized adults (n = 12,148) during a pre- and post-intervention period. Methods Logistic regressions used to examine the relationship between unplanned ICU transfers and rapid response team models (rapid response team vs. Early Warning Score-guided proactive rapid response team). Results Unplanned ICU transfers were 1.4 times more likely to occur during the rapid response team baseline period (OR = 1.392, 95% CI [1.017–1.905]) compared with the Early Warning Score-guided proactive rapid response team intervention period. Conclusions This study reports a difference in the frequency of unplanned escalations using different rapid response models, with fewer unplanned ICU transfers occurring during the use of Early Warning Score-guided proactive rapid response team model while accounting for differences in admission volumes, age, gender and comorbidities. Implementation of this model has implications for patient outcomes, hospital operations and costs.

BACKGROUND Health services in Tasmania, Victoria and now Western Australia are changing to goals-of-care (GOC) advance care planning (ACP) documentation strategies. AIM To compare the clinical impact of two different health department-sanctioned ACP documentation strategies. METHODS A non-blinded, pre-post, controlled study over two corresponding 6-month periods in 2016 and 2017 comparing the current discretional not-for-resuscitation (NFR) with a new, inclusive GOC strategy in two medical/oncology wards at a large private hospital. Main outcomes were the uptake of ACP forms per hospitalisation and the timing between hospital admission, ACP form completion and in-patient death. Secondary outcomes included utilisation of the rapid response team (RRT), palliative and critical care services. RESULTS In total, 650 NFR and 653 GOC patients underwent 1885 admissions (mean Charlson Comorbidity Index = 3.7). GOC patients had a higher uptake of ACP documentation (346 vs 150 ACP forms per 1000 admissions, P < 0.0001) and a higher proportion of ACP forms completed within the first 48 h of admission (58 vs 39%, P = 0.0002) but a higher incidence of altering the initial ACP level of care (P = 0.003). All other measures, including ACP documentation within 48 h of death (P = 0.50), activation of RRT (P = 0.73) and admission to critical (P = 0.62) or palliative (P = 0.81) care services, remained similar. GOC documentation was often incomplete, with most sub-sections left blank between 74 and 87% of occasions. CONCLUSION Despite an increased uptake of the GOC form, overall use remained low, written completion was poor, and most quantitative outcomes remained statistically unchanged. Further research is required before a wider GOC implementation can be supported in Australia's healthcare systems.