Improvement of Rapid Response Training in the Urgent Care

Rapid response teams have been shown to improve patient outcomes in medical emergencies. As community clinics expand to include urgent care departments, there is an increased likelihood of medical emergencies occurring within clinics. In response to this change, this project designed and implemented a mock code simulation training for staff in community clinic urgent care departments. The purpose of this project was to improve the confidence, knowledge, and skills of staff and healthcare providers in urgent care clinics related to roles and evidence-based applications of rapid response education and preparation, specifically mock codes. Pre-surveys and post-surveys measured confidence, knowledge, and skills of staff medical assistants (MAs), registered nurses (RNs), physician assistants (PAs), nurse practitioners (NPs), and medical doctors (MDs) in urgent care departments. A total of 56 RNs, MAs, and providers completed presurveys and then participated in mock code simulation training. All 56 participants completed post-surveys immediately following mock code simulation. Of those 56 participants, 50 also completed a second post-survey four weeks after mock code simulation training to evaluate retention. Significant differences existed between the pre-surveys and post-surveys both immediately after mock code simulation and four weeks later. Confidence levels in participants increased both immediately after the post-survey and four weeks later, as suggested by Wilcoxon Signed Tests. Knowledge measurements showed overall mean survey score and paired t-test score increases (8.9% positive change) (Pre: 4.5 vs Post: 4.84; p = 0.027) (3.6% positive change) (4% positive change) (Pre: 4.44 vs Final: 4.76; p = 0.051) (4% positive change). Skills measurements showed increases in mean scores and paired t-tests (Pre: 2.20 vs Post: 2.95; p = 0.010) (Pre: 3.60 vs Post: 3.76; p = 0.485) (Pre: 2.82 vs Post: 2.88; p = 0.659) (Pre: 2.16 vs Final: 2.64; p = 0.000) (Pre: 3.60 vs Final: 3.76; p = 0.182) (Pre: 2.82 vs Final: 2.88; p = 0.253). Most participants were satisfied with the training and participation in the project expressing comments like, "that was really helpful" and "thank you for doing this training." The results of this project advocate that mock code training increases confidence, knowledge, and skills. In conclusion, mock code training for an urgent care unit is a beneficial intervention for rapid response training.