What Evidence is Available on Rapid Response Systems Across Europe? Findings From a Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Systems Analysis
• Clinical Quality Improvement
• Patient Safety Research

Background:

• Rapid Response Systems (RRS) are crucial for early detection and management of hospital emergencies.
• Understanding RRS characteristics and outcomes in Europe is key to identifying improvement areas.
• This study provides a comprehensive overview of RRS in the European context.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize the characteristics and organizational structures of European Rapid Response Systems.
• To evaluate the documented clinical outcomes associated with RRS implementation.
• To identify trends and variations in RRS across European healthcare settings.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review was conducted following Levac's framework and PRISMA-ScR guidelines.
• Searches were performed in CINAHL, Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Scopus.
• Quantitative primary studies on European RRS published in English were included.

Main Results:

• Twenty-three studies were included, with a significant increase in publications over the last decade.
• RRS exhibit heterogeneous organizational patterns, including varied terminologies (e.g., Medical Emergency Team, Rapid Response Team), team compositions, and activation systems.
• Studies focused on RRS functions, patient outcomes, and effectiveness, feasibility, and costs.

Conclusions:

• The growing body of RRS research highlights diverse organizational structures and terminologies.
• Future research should focus on outcome variations linked to different RRS structures.
• Standardization of RRS data sets and implementation of registries are recommended to enhance consistency in European practices and research.