AHRQ and DoD Release New Team Training Tool for Hospital Rapid Response Systems

A new team training tool on Rapid Response Systems has been released and is available from the Agency for Healthcare Research Quality and the Department of Defense. Designed for use by hospital teams, the new training module complements the Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS), which was published in 2006.

Research suggests that after implementing a Rapid Response System, hospitals experience a decrease in the number of cardiac arrests, deaths from cardiac arrest, the number of days in the intensive care unit and the hospital overall post arrest, and inpatient death rates. This new module provides an overview of the Rapid Response System and the role of the Rapid Response Team, which is composed of clinicians who bring critical care expertise to patients requiring immediate treatment while under hospital care.

This evidence-based module, available in CD format, provides insight into the core concepts of teamwork as they are applied to the Rapid Response System. The curriculum can be customized to meet an institution’s unique needs.

The Instructor Guide includes:

A complete course planning package, with suggested lesson plans and resources, as well as tools for monitoring, evaluation, and ongoing coaching.

A complete set of materials for training sessions for instructors.

The CD includes:

A set of vignettes in which professional actors demonstrate rapid response system problems and their solutions.

Curriculum slides, which can be customized to meet an institution’s needs.

Free copies of the new Rapid Response System module CD are available at http://teamstepps.ahrq.gov/abouttoolsmaterials.htm or by calling AHRQ’s publication clearinghouse at 800-358-9295.