Program Evaluation of an Early Nurse Intervention Team.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety
• Nursing Interventions

Background:

• Hospitals increasingly use rapid response teams to identify at-risk patients.
• Formal evaluations of these critical care programs are infrequent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of the Early Nurse Intervention Team (ENIT) program.
• Evaluation conducted at a community hospital in the southeastern US.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of patient data.
• Compared outcomes for patients with and without ENIT nurse involvement.
• Key metrics included unplanned ICU transfers, length of stay, and mortality.

Main Results:

• A significant decrease in unplanned ICU transfers was observed as ENIT staffing rose.
• No significant differences were found in length of stay, ventilator days, or mortality.
• ENIT implementation showed a positive impact on patient care escalation.

Conclusions:

• The Early Nurse Intervention Team program positively impacted patient outcomes.
• Reduced unplanned ICU transfers led to substantial cost savings for the hospital.