Beyond Rapid Response Teams: Instituting a “Rover Team” Improves the Management of At-Risk Patients, Facilitates Proactive Interventions, and Improves Outcomes

Objectives: The objective of this paper is to describe how a Rapid Response System with a proactive Rover Team and a complementary reactive Pediatric Rapid Response Team (PRRT) had positive effects on patients and providers in one children’s hospital. Background: Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) are “reactive,” and their effectiveness depends on recognition of the problem and activation of the system. Methods: The Rover Team expands the PRRT to include a proactive assessment of patients at risk for clinical deterioration. Results: After PRRT/Rover Team implementation, non-intensive care unit pediatric codes dropped from 1 code/month to 0.16 code/month. The Rover Team was most commonly utilized by the nursing staff to deliver time-sensitive therapies, allowing for patients to remain in their current care environment 90 percent of the time. Conclusion: A Rover Team identifies at-risk patients and facilitates the prompt administration of time-sensitive therapies. This proactive approach supports the reactive PRRT, provides a critical-care resource, and improves clinically important outcomes.