Nurses' experience with patient deterioration and rapid response teams

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Quality

Background:

• Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) are vital for patient safety, but their effectiveness depends on timely activation and teamwork.
• Nurses' perceptions and experiences with RRTs are crucial for improving their performance and patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore nurses' perceptions of patient deterioration detection.
• To understand nurses' decision-making processes for initiating RRTs.
• To examine nurses' experiences with RRTs during and after activation.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative descriptive study utilizing semi-structured focus group interviews.
• 24 nurses participated from a Chicago area hospital.
• Thematic analysis of transcribed interviews identified key patterns.

Main Results:

• Five themes emerged: deterioration identification, escalation decisions, team responsiveness, communication, and perceived effectiveness.
• Nurses reported difficulties in recognizing subtle deterioration signs.
• Delayed RRT activation was linked to responder attitudes and stigma.

Conclusions:

• Findings highlight the need for improved work environments supporting nurse performance and interprofessional collaboration.
• Challenges in RRT activation and effectiveness require ongoing monitoring and education.
• Key areas for improvement include patient hand-off, nurse empowerment, communication, and role clarity.