Abstract
BackgroundThe Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care released a set of national standards which became a mandatory part of accreditation in 2013. Standard 9 focuses on the identification and treatment of deteriorating patients. The objective of the study was to identify changes in the characteristics and perceptions of rapid response systems (RRS) since the implementation of Standard 9.MethodsCross-sectional study of Australian hospitals. Baseline data was obtained from a pre-implementation survey in 2010 (220 hospitals). A follow-up survey was distributed in 2015 to staff involved in implementing Standard 9 in public and private hospitals (276 responses) across Australia.ResultsSince 2010, the proportion of hospitals with formal RRS had increased from 66 to 85. Only 7% of sites had dedicated funding to operate the RRS. 83% of respondents reported that Standard 9 had improved the recognition of, and response to, deteriorating patients in their health service, with 51% believing it had improved awareness at the executive level and 50% believing it had changed hospital culture.ConclusionsImplementing a national safety and quality standard for deteriorating patients can change processes to deliver safer care, while raising the profile of safety issues. Despite limited dedicated funding and staffing, respondents reported that Standard 9 had a positive impact on the care for deteriorating patients in their hospitals.
Highlights
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care released a set of national standards which became a mandatory part of accreditation in 2013
Australia has led the world in setting up hospital based rapid response teams with almost 60% of Australian hospitals with an intensive care unit having a Medical Emergency Team in 2007 (MET) [5, 6]
Significance testing was not performed as the sample of hospitals completing the 2015 survey was different from the 2010 survey
Summary
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care released a set of national standards which became a mandatory part of accreditation in 2013. The objective of the study was to identify changes in the characteristics and perceptions of rapid response systems (RRS) since the implementation of Standard 9. A number of the deaths that occur in hospitals are known to be preventable [1]. Many large hospitals around the world have instituted rapid response teams to “rescue” deteriorating patients before more serious complications occur [2,3,4]. Australia has led the world in setting up hospital based rapid response teams with almost 60% of Australian hospitals with an intensive care unit having a Medical Emergency Team in 2007 (MET) [5, 6].
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