Quick thinking

May 12, 2008 05:14 pm

— Hendricks Regional Health Intensive Care nurses Jo Morton (left) and Sara Shook inventory items used by HRH’s FASTeam

by Brian Kern

DANVILLE — We’ve all seen those hospital shows where the doctor races in and says something medically clever like “We need 10 cc’s of lydacane STAT!” but nurses on Hendricks Regional Health’s FASTeam work tirelessly in hopes that none of their patients even get to that point.
FASTeam (Focused Assessment and Support Team) is a rapid response unit at HRH that is called in amidst signs (or simply suspicions) that a patient’s condition is declining.
Physicians have found that most patients exhibit subtle but still observable symptoms in the hours leading up to major health complications such as a cardiac arrest. FASTeam’s mission is to identify those symptoms early and take precautions that will neutralize these warning signs before a patient reaches a critical state, Intensive Care Unit Director Jo Morton explained.
If nurses in the emergency room feel they are observing symptoms that suggest an imminent medical complication, they are encouraged to call FASTeam.
Once the patient is evaluated, the team can make a decision as to whether or not the patient should be transferred to the ICU for further treatment.
Morton says that part of patient assessment is instinctive and that nurses should never hesitate to call FASTeam for help.
“Nurses have a pretty good gut about a lot of things,” Morton said. “We want them to know that it’s OK to call no matter what the call. We’ve really tried to dispel any fears they might have about calling us.”
Rapid response units similar to FASTeam have grown prevalent across the United States as part of a national campaign to save lives put forth by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). The institute noted that rapid response teams have been established to address failures in planning, communication, and recognition nationwide.
IHI’s website cites a 2003 study in the Medical Journal of Australia in which hospitals participating in the rapid response program saw a 65 percent decrease in the total number of cardiac arrests and a 56 percent decrease in mortality rates from those who did suffer an arrest.
Morton said that national statistics reflect a sub-20 percent survival rate among individuals who suffer a cardiac arrest but maintained that those increase if a person is moved to the ICU in time. “You want to be in the ICU if you are having an arrest,” she said.
Officials are hopeful that as FASTeam expands it might be accessible to patients’ families in addition to nurses. Morton said oftentimes family members will have a very good sense of whether or not their loved ones are truly themselves and can be keenly aware if a patient’s condition is worsening.
For more information on FASTeam and other HRH programs, visit the website www.hendricksregionalhealth.org.
brian.kern@flyergroup.com