Pediatric Rapid Response Teams in the Academic Medical Center

With increased awareness of the prevalence of medical error, efforts to improve health care delivery have focused not only on the study of new therapies to combat disease, but also on the process of patient care. As a result, improved patient outcomes are determined by cutting-edge therapies as well as performance improvement principles. One clinical area that has been the target of this multifaceted approach is the prevention and treatment of in-hospital cardiac arrests. This article discusses the implementation of a Pediatric Rapid Response Team at an academic medical center and introduces the concept of a proactive “Rover Team.”