Tell me about your Rapid Response Team

[Elizabeth Stricker, BSN]

Hi!

I am wondering if all the facilities you work for use a Rapid Response team. If so, what is it called? Are patients and visitors allowed/ set up with a phone number to call it if they have concerns, or is it only called by nursing staff?

Thanks!

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Hope a hospital based  nurse sees and responds!

[LibraSunCNM, BSN, MSN, CNM]

I haven't worked bedside in a hospital for a long time, but the hospital where I last worked was a large teaching hospital and did have a rapid response team (although they called it the "medical response team" because they had to be different about everything ?)  Families were actually allowed to call them, but I never once saw that happen.  Info about it was posted on the wall in every patient room.

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

I work in two hospitals, both smaller community hospitals. In one, we have a rapid response nurse from 7p-7a who always responds. In addition, the nurse open to admit in ICU responds, as well as the RT, the hospitalist, nurse supervisor and staff from the floor where the patient is. Sometimes it's a skeleton crew which is a problem during an actual code, but the night team usually works pretty well together.

The second hospital is also small but it's a teaching hospital, so there are a BILLION people at every rapid. I'm on the ICU NP team so at least one of us always respond along with a RN from the ICU. The care team doctor(s) respond, at least a couple RTs, transport, phlebotomy, supervisor and then everyone else that just wants to see what's up. They're a complete mess most of the time. Can never find the primary RN, and then that RN has to update providers as they arrive. They're awful.

As far as a number, we've got a code button on the wall that anyone can push. If it's called through the operator, someone at a phone does that.