title: Is there a role for patients and their relatives in escalating clinical deterioration in hospital? A systematic review.
abstract: Measures exist to improve early recognition of, and response to, deteriorating patients in hospital. However, deteriorating patients continue to go unrecognized. To address this, interventions have been developed that invite patients and relatives to escalate patient deterioration to a rapid response team (RRT).
  
  
  
  To systematically review articles that describe these interventions and investigate their effectiveness at reducing preventable deterioration.
  
  
  
  Following PRISMA guidelines, four electronic databases and two web search engines were searched to identify literature investigating patient and relative led escalation.
  
  
  
  Articles investigating the implementation or use of systems involving patients and relatives in the detection of clinical patient deterioration and escalation of patient care to address any clinical or non-clinical outcomes were included. Articles' eligibility was validated by a second reviewer (20%).
  
  
  
  Data were extracted according to pre-defined criteria.
  
  
  
  Narrative synthesis was applied to included studies.
  
  
  
  Nine empirical studies and 36 grey literature articles were included in the review. Limited studies were conducted to establish the clinical effectiveness of patient and relative led escalation. Instead, studies investigated the impact of this intervention on health-care staff and available resources. Although appropriate, this reflects the infancy of research in this area. Patients and relatives did not overwhelm resources by activating the RRT. However, they did activate it to address concerns unrelated to patient deterioration.
  
  
  
  Activating a RRT may not be the most appropriate or cost-effective method of resolving non-life-threatening concerns.
authors: School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.|Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford, UK.
authors: Abigail K
authors: AK
authors: Albutt
authors: School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.|Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford, UK.
authors: Jane K
authors: JK
authors: O'Hara
authors: School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
authors: Mark T
authors: MT
authors: Conner
authors: The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Wakefield, UK.
authors: Stephen J
authors: SJ
authors: Fletcher
authors: School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.|Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford, UK.
authors: Rebecca J
authors: RJ
authors: Lawton
mesh_terms: D000075902:Clinical Deterioration; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005190:Family; D006739:Hospital Administration; D057209:Hospital Rapid Response Team / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000458:organization & administration; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration; D010361:Patients
keywords: critical care; patient safety; patient-centred care; rapid response team; systematic review