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 100,000Lives Campaign in 2004 by the Institute for HealthcareImprovement and the introduction of RRTs as one ofsix initiatives to improve the quality of patient care.The use of RRTs also allows hospitals to meet a JointCommission requirement to implement a mechanismthat enables staff members to obtain help from expertswhen their patients’ conditions are deteriorating.Thisarticle reviews performance data from an AcademicMedical Center and recent rapid response literature.