• Marion Leary, William Schweickert, Stacie Neefe, Boris Tsypenyuk, Scott Austin Falk, and Daniel N Holena.
• Marion Leary is the Director of Innovation Research, Center for Resuscitation Science, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. William Schweickert is an assistant professor, Division of Allergy and Pulmonary Critical Care, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Stacie Neefe is a nurse clinical coordinator, Department of Nursing, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Boris Tsypenyuk is a project manager, Clinical Effectiveness and Quality Improvement Department, University of Pennsylvania. Scott Austin Falk is an assistant professor, Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Daniel N. Holena is an assistant professor, Division of Traumatology, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency Surgery and a senior scholar, The Leonard Davis Institute, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. Marion.leary@uphs.upenn.edu.
• Am. J. Crit. Care. 2016 Jul 1; 25 (4): 335-9.

BackgroundHow nontechnical factors such as inadequate role definition and overcrowding affect outcomes of in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) is unknown. Using a bundled intervention, we sought to improve providers' role definitions and decrease overcrowding during IHCA events.ObjectivesTo determine if a bundled intervention consisting of a nurse/physician leadership dyad, visual cues for provider roles, and a "role check" would lead to reductions in crowding and improve perceptions of communication and team leadership.MethodsBaseline data on the number and type of IHCA providers were collected. Providers were asked to complete a postevent survey rating communication and leadership. A bundled intervention was then introduced. Data were then obtained for the subsequent IHCA events.ResultsTwenty ICHA events were captured before and 34 after the intervention. The number of physicians present at pulse checks 2 (median [interquartile range]: 6 [5-8] before vs 5 [3-6] after, P = .02) and 3 (7 [5-9] vs 4 [4-5], P = .004) decreased significantly after the intervention. The overall number of providers at the third pulse check (18 [14-22] before vs 14 [12-16] after, P = .04) also decreased after the intervention. On a 10-point Likert scale, ratings of communication (8 [7-8]) and physician leadership (8 [7-9]) did not differ significantly from before to after the intervention. Both the physician leads (90%) and patients' primary nurses (97%) were able to identify clear nurse leaders.ConclusionA bundled intervention targeted at improving IHCA response led to a decrease in overcrowding at ICHA events without substantial changes in the perceptions of communication or physician leadership.©2016 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

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