Introduction of rapid response teams in Poland

In 2016, the Polish National Center for Quality Assessment in Health Care began implementing the project on “Rapid Response Teams” (RRTs), in which 25 Polish hospitals were involved. The introduction of RRTs to the hospitals aims to improve the safety and quality of health care delivered to patients. Its main goals are: early identification of patients at risk of sudden health condition deterioration or cardiac arrest as well as quick determination and implementation of a suitable management strategy. The theoretical framework of the RRT system was described in a series of reports available on the official website of the project: http://zwr.cmj.org.pl.
During the first half of 2018, trainings were initiated; in the successive months, the RRTs formally started their activities in the hospitals involved. Throughout the period of implementation, the participants, the training team and the management team shared their observations and experience during visits to the centres engaged and during teleconferences. The seminars organised between January 31, 2019 and February 1, 2019 in Krakow were the climax of the pilot stage; the leaders of all 25 teams participated in the discussions summarising the experience gained at the advanced stage of the project implementation. The present paper discusses the practical observations made during those meetings, which could prove useful for the hospitals already involved and those planning to join the project.

THE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS APPLIED TO DATE IN CASES REQUIRING INTERVENTIONS OF ANAESTHETISTS AND INTENSIVISTS OUTSIDE OPERATING ROOMS SUITES AND INTENSIVE CARE UNITS

Predictable situations:
• qualification for elective procedures,
• anaesthesia for elective procedures (e.g. cardioversion, endoscopy).
• Unpredictable situations:
• sudden cardiac and respiratory arrest,
• anaesthesia for emergency (non-elective) procedures,
• minor procedures, e.g. implantation of central venous catheters,
• transportation of severely ill patients, consultations of patients whose conditions have suddenly deteriorated.
At present, depending on the medical indications and organisational strategies accepted in the individual hospitals, the above tasks belong to the responsibilities of physicians providing interventions, resuscitation teams or are performed during anaesthetic consultations. One of the consequences of introducing the RRT as a separate structure, focused on early...


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