Failure To Rescue, What Can Be Done To Prevent It?

Abstract

Introduction: Failure to Rescue (FTR) is the failure to prevent a patient’s death after a complication. It measures the ability of a hospital to prevent the death of patients who develop one or more complication that was not present at the time of admission. Therefore, the aim of this study is to review the factors that contribute to FTR, and the measures and strategies that can be applied to prevent the FTR events, in order to discuss the best way to improve patient outcomes in the hospital setting. Methods: A search was conducted on PUBMED retrieving a total of 464 articles. A review of the selected articles’ bibliography was conducted to find other relevant articles. Sixty studies were reviewed in this paper. Results: Patient factors as increasing age, comorbidities and frailty increase the risk of FTR, as well as an increasing number of complications. Several hospital factors, nursing care, and microsystem also influence FTR. Some track and Trigger Systems (TTS) and Early Warning Scores (EWS) have been shown to predict clinical deterioration. On the other hand, machine learning systems have outperformed EWS. Rapid response teams have become the standard approach to delivery and escalation of care, and cognitive aids and crisis checklists also have potential to help reduce FTR. Conclusion: Patient and hospital factors are often non-modifiable; thus, microsystem factors could be a target for improvement. Creating clinical pathways can improve surveillance, and communication tools like SBAR can help relay information. EWS, machine learning models and continuous monitoring are strategies that can help detect clinical deterioration. In the efferent limb rapid response teams have shown to reduce FTR.