The impact of rapid response systems on mortality and cardiac arrests - A literature review

Rapid response systems were created to improve recognition of and response to deterioration of general ward patients.

This literature review aimed to evaluate the evidence on whether rapid response systems decrease in-hospital mortality and non-intensive care unit cardiac arrests.

Six databases (MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, SCOPUS, Web of Science and PubMed) were systematically searched for primary studies published between 1st January 2014 and 31st October 2017, recruiting general ward patients, where the intervention involved introducing/maintaining a rapid response system, the comparison referred to a hospital setting without a rapid response system and the outcomes included mortality and cardiac arrests.

Fifteen studies met eligibility criteria: one stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial, one concurrent cohort controlled study and thirteen historically controlled studies. Thirteen studies investigated mortality of which seven reported statistically significant findings in favour of rapid response systems. Thirteen studies investigated cardiac arrests, of which eight reported statistically significant findings in favour of rapid response systems.

Evidence suggests that when the process of introducing/maintaining a rapid response system is successful and under certain favourable conditions, rapid response systems significantly decrease mortality and cardiac arrests.