Pediatric Rapid Response Initiative for Parents Introduced
Parents know their children best. Especially when they’re sick. That’s the thought behind a new initiative at the Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital.
The Patient-Activated Rapid Response Program aims to empower parents to recognize an emergent situation while visiting their child and to call for help. Signage in patients’ rooms advises parents of symptoms to look for and how to initiate a Pediatric Rapid Response. Within minutes, a group of physicians and other specially trained medical professionals who are always on call at the hospital will arrive to address whatever special care is needed.
“We really value giving our patients and their families a voice,” said H. Alexander Nagle, MD, ’08, associate professor of Pediatrics and program director of the General Pediatrics Residency Program. He and Erica Tanner, RN, clinic support nurse, co-chair a multidisciplinary steering committee that launched the initiative after conducting several months of research. “We hope that patients and families will understand that their voice matters. They know their children best.”
Should parents suddenly notice concerning signs and symptoms where they feel their child’s health is in danger – troubled breathing, changes in consciousness/alertness, uncontrolled pain, or they just sense something is wrong -- they’re advised to initiate a Pediatric Rapid Response. And because families are frequently at the bedside, they can observe these signs “before we get to the point of being in a crisis,” said Dr. Nagle.
Modeled after other Rapid Response Teams across the country, the team focused on improving quality measures and how the largest children’s hospitals nationwide empower families to be able to trigger a Rapid Response directly on their own. The team collaborated with the Patient Family Advisory Committee, a group of family representatives whose experiences with their children as patients provide an invaluable resource to the children’s hospital leadership.
Launched in January, the program has yet to generate a Pediatric Rapid Response, said Dr. Nagle. But studies at major children’s hospitals nationwide indicate only a handful do occur annually after being implemented. Still, the initial feedback is positive among parents. “What we have heard anecdotally is that most families are very thankful for hearing that this is a thing,” he said. “Largely it’s appreciated.”