Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38381243›Full record

ArticleJournal of general internal medicine2024

A Quality Improvement Project to Reduce Rapid Response System Inequities for Patients with Limited English Proficiency at a Quaternary Academic Medical Center.

Lauren Raff, Andrew G Blank, Ricardo Crespo Regalado, Emily Bulik-Sullivan, Lindsey Phillips, Carlton Moore, Lilia Galvan Miranda, Evan Raff

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of general internal medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Patient and family activated escalation systems: a systematic review.International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Lauren RaffDepartment of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, 4008 Burnett-Womack Building, Campus Box 70, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
Andrew G BlankDivision of Hospital Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, 101 Manning Drive, Campus Box 7085, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
Ricardo Crespo RegaladoUniversity of North Carolina School of Medicine, 321 South Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
Emily Bulik-SullivanUniversity of North Carolina School of Medicine, 321 South Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
Lindsey PhillipsDivision of Hospital Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, 101 Manning Drive, Campus Box 7085, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
Carlton MooreDivision of Hospital Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, 101 Manning Drive, Campus Box 7085, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
Lilia Galvan MirandaDepartment of Interpreter Services, University of North Carolina Health, 101 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, USA.
Evan RaffDivision of Hospital Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, 101 Manning Drive, Campus Box 7085, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA. evan_raff@med.unc.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-5783-858X

Funding

North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ECBR2107
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRecognition of clinically deteriorating hospitalized patients with activation of rapid response (RR) systems can prevent patient harm. Patients with limited English proficiency (LEP), however, experience less benefit from RR systems than do their English-speaking counterparts.

objectiveTo improve outcomes among hospitalized LEP patients experiencing clinical deteriorations.

designQuasi-experimental pre-post design using quality improvement (QI) statistics.

participantsAll adult hospitalized non-intensive care patients with LEP who were admitted to a large academic medical center from May 2021 through March 2023 and experienced RR system activation were included in the evaluation. All patients included after May 2022 were exposed to the intervention.

interventionsImplementation of a modified RR system for LEP patients in May 2022 that included electronic dashboard monitoring of early warning scores (EWSs) based on electronic medical record data; RR nurse initiation of consults or full RR system activation; and systematic engagement of interpreters. MAIN MEASURES: Process of care measures included monthly rates of RR system activation, critical response nurse consultations, and disease severity scores prior to activation. Main outcomes included average post-RR system activation length of stay, escalation of care, and in-hospital mortality. Analyses used QI statistics to identify special cause variation in pre-post control charts based on monthly data aggregates. KEY

resultsIn total, 222 patients experienced at least one RR system activation during the study period. We saw no special cause variation for process measures, or for length of hospitalization or escalation of care. There was, however, special cause variation in mortality rates with an overall pre-post decrease in average monthly mortality from 7.42% (n = 8/107) to 6.09% (n = 7/115).

conclusionsIn this pilot study, prioritized tracking, utilization of EWS-triggered evaluations, and interpreter integration into the RR system for LEP patients were feasible to implement and showed promise for reducing post-RR system activation mortality.

Indexed as

Academic Medical CentersHospital Rapid Response TeamLimited English ProficiencyQuality ImprovementAdultAgedFemaleHealthcare DisparitiesHospital MortalityHumansMaleMiddle Aged

Identifiers

PMID38381243
PMCPMC11116344

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.