The effect of a rapid response team on resident perceptions of education and autonomy

Abstract

Background: The impact of rapid response teams (RRTs) on resident physicians' education and clinical autonomy is not well described.

Objective: To determine whether resident physicians perceive educational benefit from collaboration with an RRT and whether they believe that the RRT adversely affects their clinical autonomy.

Design: Survey study.

Methods: Study subjects were asked to participate in a brief online survey. The survey contained 7 demographic items and 20 RRT-related items graded on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree.

Setting/subjects: The study was conducted at a tertiary care academic medical center. Subjects included all residents in specialties involving direct patient care and the potential to use the adult RRT.

Results: The response rate was 72%; 35% of respondents were interns, and 69% were in medical fields. Residents agreed that working with the RRT is a valuable educational experience (78%) and disagreed that the RRT decreased their clinical autonomy (76%). Surgical residents were less likely than medical residents to perceive educational value from RRT interactions (P = 0.01) or to report collaborative decision making with the RRT (P = 0.04).

Conclusions: The majority of resident physicians perceive educational benefit from interaction with the RRT, though this benefit is greater for less experienced residents and for those residents who routinely provide care for critically ill patients and serve as code team leaders. Few residents, irrespective of years of training or specialty, felt that the RRT reduced their clinical autonomy.