Activating the Rapid Response Team: Barriers and Facilitating Factors for Oncology Nurses

Better understand oncology nurses' perceived barriers and facilitating factors for activating the Rapid Response Team (RRT). Identify and explore barriers and facilitating factors for nurses to activate the RRT. Identify and explore barriers and facilitating factors for nurses to activate the RRT. Determine the top barriers and facilitating factors to activate the RRT at this oncology hospital. Results can guide hospital administration and staff to plan education, identify points to communicate to physician teams, revise processes, increase resources, and improve patient safety. Conclusion: Nurses have mostly positive or very positive experiences with the RRT (88%), and feel they can call a RRT anytime they are worried (68%). Nurses think patients are safer because of RRTs (95%), and they think RRTs save lives (83%). Forty percent of nurses reported having a RRT turn into a code blue, MI, or brain attack. Primary teams present more barriers than RRT. Each unit has specific concerns: Only 16% of surgical unit nurses feel there is adequate coverage on nights and weekends. Over 85% of bone marrow transplant nurses feel some patients are too critical to stay on the floor with current staffing ratios. Only 7.6% of newer nurses felt comfortable with their knowledge of when to call a RRT. Nurses want training to include more RRT scenarios.