A randomized trial of real-time automated clinical deterioration alerts sent to a rapid response team.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Episodes of patient deterioration on hospital units are expected to increasingly contribute to morbidity and healthcare costs.

Objective

To determine if real-time alerts sent to the rapid response team (RRT) improved patient care.

Design

Randomized, controlled trial.

Setting

Eight medicine units (Barnes-Jewish Hospital).

Patients

Five hundred seventy-one patients.

Intervention

Real-time alerts generated by a validated deterioration algorithm were sent real-time to the RRT (intervention) or hidden (control).

Measurements

Intensive care unit (ICU) transfer, hospital mortality, hospital duration.

Results

ICU transfer (17.8% vs 18.2%; odds ratio: 0.972; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.635-1.490) and hospital mortality (7.3% vs

SUBMITTER: Kollef MH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4354800 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature