Resuscitation Roles: A Defined Approach

Emergency department visits can vary greatly in level of acuity and range of intervention required. High-acuity patients require rapid intervention using life-saving measures. In these moments, it is essential for medical teams to be well prepared. The literature suggests that assigned roles in a resuscitation are essential to outcomes.

This process improvement work was conducted in a pediatric emergency department in the western United States. This department sees an average of roughly 99 patients per day. Role designation, role clarity, and an understanding of role specifics during resuscitation and/or critical care events in this emergency department were lacking. Double-sided badge cards were created, notating each role name on the front of the badges and listing each respective role's responsibilities on the back. A pre- and post-intervention observation study was performed to measure team members understanding of roles and the assigning of roles.

Resuscitation roles used and clearly defined increased from 17% to 76% (P = .000). Team members also noted that the responsibilities assigned to each role had a knowledge increase from 60% to 100% (P = .000).

Having clearly defined roles and associated responsibilities during in-hospital resuscitation events is an essential component to ensure effective patient care. Having roles that are clearly defined and understood by team members promotes positive communication, confidence in skill, and situational crowd control.