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The release of the Institute of Medicine's 1999 landmark report, “To Err Is Human,” launched the patient safety movement and prompted healthcare agencies to focus on interventions that would improve quality of care and patient outcomes. Chief among these was implementation of rapid response teams (RRTs), one of six strategies recommended by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's 100,000 Lives Campaign to lower the number of preventable in-hospital deaths (RRTs were mandated in U.S. hospitals by the Joint Commission in 2008). This mandate has led to widespread use of RRTs, despite lack of evidence that they improve survival.
These authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 18 randomized controlled trials and prospective ob…