RRS Education for Ward Staff

Abstract

Medical, nursing and other staff working on general wards form the most important component of hospital-wide patient safety systems. In relation to patient deterioration, ward staff roles include the regular monitoring, charting and interpretation of patients’ vital signs and other clinical variables; the identification of “at-risk” and deteriorating patients; the timely administration of simple, first-line treatments; recognizing the need for additional, often more experienced help; and activating the rapid response system (RRS). Without ward staff involvement, the rapid response team (RRT) and Medical Emergency Team (MET) cannot be effective. (In this chapter, when we refer to the response team, we will use RRT to mean RRT, MET, and Critical Care Outreach Team (CCOT) – in other words, any responder team that an institution utilizes). Ward staff also provides important clinical and resource support to RRT members on the team’s arrival. Finally, if a patient remains on the general ward following a visit by the RRT, the ward staff must assume responsibility for the patient’s continuing surveillance and care.