Implementation of a rapid response team in a large nonprofit Brazilian hospital: improving the quality of emergency care through Plan-Do-Study-Act.

Objective: To describe the implementation of a rapid response team in a large nonprofit hospital, indicating relevant issues for other initiatives in similar contexts, particularly in Latin America.

Methods: In general terms, the intervention consisted of three major components: (1) a tool to detect aggravation of clinical conditions in general wards; (2) the structuring of a rapid response team to attend to all patients at risk; and (3) the monitoring of indicators regarding the intervention. This work employed four half-year Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles to test and adjust the intervention from January 2013 to December 2014.