BMH Implements New Code to Improve Patient Care

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital started its Rapid Response Team last year and it has proven very effective. In the year prior to the availability of this new initiative there were nine Code Blue events as compared to four Code Blue events in the same time frame once the Rapid Response Teams were initiated at BMH. The hospital has now extended the response to involve the patient and family, calling it Code H.

Code H is a system made available for patients or their families to call if they feel there has been a serious change in the patient’s condition, or if the patient is experiencing a medical emergency and, after speaking with a member of the healthcare team, it is perceived they are not getting the response they wanted. The patient/family is encouraged to activate a Code H which prompts a clinician to come to the patient.

The Rapid Response initiative at BMH reduces mortality and also the number of “Code Blue” (crash) calls, a method still used when there is a clear case of cardiopulmonary arrest (heart-stopping event). The Team is composed of clinicians such as a respiratory care practitioner and a nursing supervisor – in collaboration with the physician – who bring critical expertise to the patient.

Working with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), this performance improvement was initiated at BMH because studies show that the failure to recognize a patient’s deteriorating condition often leads to variability in both quality of care and the safety of patients. BMH joins many other healthcare providers in participating in the work of IHI, and the Joint Commission has praised Brattleboro Memorial Hospital for its groundbreaking initiative in the improvement of the safety and care of its patients.