Donor: Woodrow W. Morris Gerontology Research Grant

Project: Rapid Response System Implementation within a Long-Term Acute Care Hospital (LTACH)

Funding year: 2019 - 2020

Project Description:

  • Background:  The Rapid Response Team (RRT) is a widely adopted patient safety program designed to assist bedside nurses in the early identification of clinically deteriorating patients to bring critical care experts and resources to support the essential care provided by the nurse at the patients’ bedside.  The RRTs have largely been studied in traditional hospital settings, however it is little known for Long Term Acute Care Hospitals (LTACH) where chronically critically ill older adults are hospitalized.
  • Objectives: The purpose of this study is to understand how RRTs have been implemented in a LTACH and the RRT’s impact on clinical outcomes for patients receiving care.
  • Population: a selected urban 50-bed LTACH and its RRT members and patients
  • Approach: The study uses a retrospective review of medical records and quality improvement data to identify and describe events with an active RRT for the past two year.  Clinical and quality improvement LTACH RRT data will be analyzed for objectives, followed by qualitative data collection through semi-structured interviews with key LTACH informants to provide explanation and insights into quantitative data.
  • Targeted Outcomes: To understand how the RRT program has been adapted in a LTACH and the perceived impact on outcomes for senior adults receiving care in a well-established LTACH.

For more information, contact Dr. Bunch