CODE RESUS

In order to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients requiring resuscitation (PRRs) in the emergency department (ED), health care providers (HCPs) must provide an efficient, multi-disciplinary and coordinated response. The ‘Code Resus’ project was undertaken to improve HCP response to PRRs at the UHN EDs. Through interviews of key stakeholders and with continuous input from front-line ED HCPs, a multi-disciplinary team modified the ED resuscitation protocol. This included standardized pre-hospital communication form with paramedics, ED-wide overhead announcement of ‘Code Resus’, dedicated HCPs assigned to respond to PRRs, and specific duties assigned to each responder. Each component was refined using PDSA cycles, and change initiatives were reinforced through education and posters in the ED. As a result of this project, significant and sustained improvements in HCPs’ perceived response to PRRs were achieved, with a doubling in the proportion of nurses who felt that their role was clearly apparent when they attended a PRR and in the proportion of providers who felt that the appropriate number of HCPs responding to PRRs in the ED.