Condition Help: A Patient- and Family-Initiated Rapid Response System

Area of Science:

• Healthcare delivery
• Patient safety
• Quality improvement

Background:

• Rapid response teams (RRTs) traditionally rely on clinician activation for timely patient care.
• A novel approach involves empowering patients and families to initiate RRTs.
• The Condition Help (CH) system at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center enables patient and family-initiated RRT activation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the implementation and outcomes of a patient- and family-initiated rapid response system.
• To analyze the characteristics and reasons for activation of the Condition Help (CH) system.

Main Methods:

• Collected demographic data, reasons for calls, call designations (safety/nonsafety), and outcomes for all CH calls.
• Study period: January 2012 to June 2015.
• Analysis of 367 CH calls made by 240 patients/family members.

Main Results:

• Most calls (76.8%) were initiated by patients.
• Inadequate pain control (48.2%) was the primary reason for calls, followed by staff dissatisfaction (12.5%).
• The majority of calls (83.4%) were for nonsafety issues, though care changes occurred in 41.4% of cases.

Conclusions:

• Patient- and family-initiated RRTs engage individuals in enhancing care safety.
• The CH system effectively identifies safety issues but predominantly addresses nonsafety concerns.
• This model highlights opportunities for improved communication and non-safety-related patient needs.