Proactive Rounding and Family Initiated RRT

[Pprwrk]

I am looking into developing a proactive rounding aspect to our Rapid Response system. I am also looking into developing a process for patients and visitors to activate the rapid response team. The proactive rounding would have the ICU nurse/RRT nurse (we have no dedicated RRT nurse) round to each inpatient unit at least once per shift, to talk to the floor nurses and see if there are any concerns about patient conditions (not yet an RRT call, but may be heading that way) and help to address the concerns of the nurse, facilitate interventions for the patient, and get the patient on the ICU 'radar' (what this would entail as far as ICU physician follow-up or contact with the floors' medicine teams/surgeons, I do not know yet). What are YOUR experiences with proactive rounding and/or patient and visitor initiated RRT calls??

Thanks.

[hawaiicarl, BSN, RN]

Speaking as a rapid response nurse here, we have the capability of families to call a rapid response. Our operators are trained to ask what the concern is and that the appropriate help will be dispatched. It is called a "code help". Honestly no one has ever used it. If a family member brings a concern to the nurse and the nurse is concerned they will go ahead and page for a rapid response.

Our hospital has a dedicated rapid response nurse so we do round each shift. Sometimes concerns are brought to my attention as I am rounding, and other times I am called or paged. If someone calls for my opinion and I feel a rapid response is warranted I tell them to call the operator and ask for a rapid response to be called to that room and I will be on my way there.

In addition to calls for patients with a change in condition such acute mental status changes, falls, elevated HR >130, HR 180, SBP 30 or

I want a dedicated RRT nurse! I get stuck doing it, and codes, and charge, and patient care .... yay!

Cheers

[allnurses Admin Team]

Duplicate threads merged.