Evolution of a rapid response team over a ten-year period: One academic center’s experience

Abstract

Rapid response teams (RRTs) became embedded in US hospitals following the launch of the 100,000
Lives Campaign in 2004 by the Institute for Healthcare
Improvement and the introduction of RRTs as one of
six initiatives to improve the quality of patient care.
The use of RRTs also allows hospitals to meet a Joint
Commission requirement to implement a mechanism
that enables staff members to obtain help from experts
when their patients’ conditions are deteriorating.
This
article reviews performance data from an Academic
Medical Center and recent rapid response literature.