A review of flexible management for patients with Congestive Cardiac Failure (CCF): The implementation of post discharge Rapid Response Teams (RRTs)

Abstract

Hospitalized patients with Congestive Cardiac Failure (CCF) often experience an acute decline in their conditions post- discharge usually preceded by changes in their vital signs (for eg. respiratory rate, heart rate, blood pressure and temperature). Should these subtle changes go unrecognized, can have serious implications for patient mortality and morbidity. However, as this article outlines, implications such as these may be prevented by interventions being made by specialist practitioners known as Rapid Response Teams (RRTs). The role of such teams in the postdischarge period is to promptly identify patients at risk of further clinical decline and initiate appropriate responses to prevent serious adverse events. The aim of this article is to briefly review the management of patients with CCF in the hospital and propose the initiation of RRTs post-discharge for CCF patients in Singapore. Moreover, the article proposes that such teams should be implemented in Singapore as a positive contribution to the care and treatment of people with CCF. RRTs were conceptualized as a consultative service to bring critical care expertise to the management of patients with CCF following discharge from the hospital. This article considers the challenges and barriers to the implementation of RRTs in a Singaporean context by using SWOT analysis to consider the potential in terms of the both the benefits and the difficulties that such an initiative can produce.