I think you'd have to be living in a cave, if you haven't heard about the "Rapid Response Team". The concept has been around for at least 10 years, and has been proven to be an effective mechanism to help prevent bad things, from happening to good people. It works for bad people too, but anyway, intelligent hospital leaders, know the "RRT" can be utilized to intervene when a patient is going south, in the direction of respiratory or cardiac failure, or a similar dire situation.

Here at Sister Euphemia's joint, there was a task-force, some committees, and a few meetings..........and then there were dollar signs. The upshot outcome of all this headbanging, is what I call the Rapid Response Unpolicy. Just overhead page, "Rapid Response in Room XXX and an ICU RN and Respiratory Therapist will show up. Of course, why ask the Hospitalist to respond, he's probably catching some zzz's. Oh, by the way, the Nurse is not authorized to give any drugs, (oops, isn't Oxygen technically a drug?, the RT can't intubate..........No, we're just the arrive in a hurry and observe team (AHOT).

Enough blah, blah, blah.

Won't you please welcome...........

The Rapid Response Unpolicy

A nurse will respond
But not a doctor,
That's like a take-home exam
Without the proctor.

Along with the R-R-N
The Rapidly Responding Nurse,
Will be the R-R-R-T
Oops, I stutter when I curse.

Yes, the Respiratory Therapist
And the Rapidly Responding Nurse,
Will make a determination
Call the Coroner, or a hearse;
Because Billy-Bob Borko
Is icy cold with rigor mortis,
At least that's my first impression
Of this stone-dead old tortoise.

A differential diagnosis
Might reveal some hidden truth.
Maybe he's been like this
Ever since he was a youth,
Reportedly he was a hard man
That was according to his wife,
She tried to stab him seven times
But she always broke the knife.

In the end, as in the beginning
He was deader every minute,
We got the ziplock custom morgue bag
And put that gomer in it.

So you see, it's not too bad
The Unpolicy works, just like always,
Please tell us if it's Isolation
And keep the equipment out of the hallways.

Fibril_late;
6/5/10