A rapid response is called when a patient isn’t doing well. It can be called for just about anything. Trouble breathing, chest pain, abnormal vital signs, neurological changes, etc. In my hospital, a team of critical care nurses arrives along with respiratory therapists and a doctor.
A code is called when the patient either stops breathing or goes into cardiac arrest, so it’s more serious than a rapid response. Sometimes we call a code when they are still breathing but are doing poorly enough that we need the ICU team to come intubate them (place a breathing tube). When a full blown code is called, the rapid response team and the ICU doctors show up, as well as a pharmacist with a cart full of critical medications.
TheDamnAngel t1_ivsie5m wrote
Reply to comment by lekoman in TIFU by calling a hospital code by justrightkinda
I work on the code team for my hospital.
A rapid response is called when a patient isn’t doing well. It can be called for just about anything. Trouble breathing, chest pain, abnormal vital signs, neurological changes, etc. In my hospital, a team of critical care nurses arrives along with respiratory therapists and a doctor.
A code is called when the patient either stops breathing or goes into cardiac arrest, so it’s more serious than a rapid response. Sometimes we call a code when they are still breathing but are doing poorly enough that we need the ICU team to come intubate them (place a breathing tube). When a full blown code is called, the rapid response team and the ICU doctors show up, as well as a pharmacist with a cart full of critical medications.