Codes and RRT more frequent day or night?

This is purely anecdotal, but it always seem like the $h!# hits the fans between 5a-7a and then 5p-7p. At least to me when I carried the code beeper or I work on the Rapid Response Team, I knew something would happen. I think I remember reading something about shift change being a dangerous time for patients because of hand-offs, and that's one of those JCAHO things for hospitals to imrpove on.

I don't understand how your hospital can base taking a break on census. If you're working twelve hours, you deserve your 30 min meal break. Is there an extra nurse to cover assignments and they are going to cut that so you have to cover for each other? I wish these people would work night shift and realize it's just a different type of busy! People still need a meal break.

I evaluated the data from when our RRT's were being called. Almost all of them were on off shifts (late evenings, nights and weekends). The code data was a little more sporadic and didn't necessarily have a pattern. NRCPR data base would be your best bet to find out if there is a national pattern.

Just from what I've seen (no numbers or anything) RRT is called equally day, nights, weekends. Code Blues are called more frequently