Implementing Best Practices for Decreasing Nurse Hesitancy to Call the Rapid Response Team: An Evidence-Based Quality...

Nurses, regardless of experience, sometimes wait for the Modified Early Warning Score to indicate physiological decline before initiating the hospital's Rapid Response Team (RRT). The goal of this quality improvement initiative was to reduce nurse hesitancy to call the RRT, as indicated by the monthly number of proactive calls before the Modified Early Warning Score increased and triggered an automated page.

Education, planned handoff communication, debriefing, and good catch emails were the educational strategies used in the implementation of the quality improvement initiatives, encouraging RRT calls sooner. Increasing RRT knowledge and communication is an evidence-based practice strategy to reduce nurse reluctance to call the RRT.

After implementation, monthly proactive RRT calls increased (χ² [1, n = 1,964] = 14.6085, p = .000159). Bedside interventions, unscheduled transfers, and Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation scores did not differ.

Education, structured handoff communication, and acknowledging good catches reduced nurses' reluctance to call the RRT proactively. [.