The following is a summary of “The relationship of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio with health-related quality of life, depression, and disease activity in SLE: a cross-sectional study,” published in the September 2023 issue of Critical Care by Hamlin et al.
Rapid response team activation delays are common despite efforts to improve early detection of patient deterioration.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess the impact of a quality improvement initiative on delays in rapid response team activation and serious adverse events.
They employed an observational cohort design to assess all patients who underwent a rapid response team activation during the study period.
The results demonstrated 1,080 patients; 536 were part of the “before” quality improvement initiative, while 544 were from the “after” group. The delay in activating the rapid response team declined, dropping from 11.7 hours in the “before” group to 9.6 hours in the “after” group (P<.001). In the “after” group, there was a notable decline in the proportion of patients transferred to the intensive care unit (36% vs. 41%, P=.02), and those who did get transferred had 3.58 times higher odds of death compared to those who remained at the same level of care. Additionally, the “after” group experienced a 44% reduction in the odds of mortality when compared to the “before” group.
They concluded that systems-based physical assessments by nurses early in the shift improve patient outcomes.
