Implementation of a Pre-Rapid Response Nurse: A Success Story

Threats to the clinical safety of the hospitalized patient include those considered as a failure to rescue (FTR) event, described as a delay in the response to an adverse clinical presentation that may lead to deterioration of the patient. In 2004, the Institute of Healthcare Improvement's Saving 100,000 Lives campaign identified that deploying a rapid response team (RRT) to respond to and intervene on behalf of a patient who presents with a physiological change, but is not in an arrest situation, was a strategy to save lives and is the norm in health care facilities today.1 There are many models cited in the literature that a hospital can use for the operations of their RRT.2 The purpose of this article is to present the positive outcomes achieved from a model that employs a full-time critical care RN who works in the “pre-rapid response” role. Challenges, lessons learned, and experiences with the implementation of a pre-rapid response nursing role are presented with the intent to provide guidance to other nurse leaders desiring to apply a similar nursing role to the structure of the RRT members in their facility. 375