Reducing hospital mortality rates through the practical application of ACLS concepts and rapid response protocols: a literature review

Abstract

As the healthcare sector has faced budgetary restrictions, much of the federal hospital reimbursement programs have increased focus on quality of healthcare to determine reimbursement amounts. Knowing this, hospitals and researchers have vested greater efforts in improving these metrics. Hospital mortality rates, 30-day death rates, and 30-day hospital re-admission rates are currently some of the standards used to measure quality care. As a result, Rapid Response and Medical Emergency Teams (RRT and MET) have increased to try to meet standards for reimbursement. Research on the success of these teams in reducing long term mortality and re-hospitalization rates has been variable, and many smaller more rural hospitals do not have the staffing or budgetary resources to be able to support efforts to initiate such interventions. The goal of this research project is to review current literature on the efficacy of staff educational programs using ACLS concepts versus institution of RRT and MET on reducing hospital mortality rates and ICU transfers. The results of this literature review will be used to develop a unit wide initiative on improving these metrics for a small medical/surgical department in a rural 55-bed hospital in North Georgia. Implementation efforts will focus on staff education on crash cart utilization and ACLS concepts in the initial phase, with a long term plan to develop standardized rapid response protocols which are currently not in place.