Overview of the Efferent Limb

The earliest work in rapid response systems involved a responding team to prevent further deterioration and death. In fact, those investigators did not even consider that the response team might be part of a larger system. But, as we now know, it is. Subsequent work recognized that there are four limbs to an effective rapid response system. This chapter (and section) focuses on the efferent limb: the human (personnel and skills) and equipment resources that are brought to bear at the site of a critically deteriorating patient. The effective efferent limb is prepared to manage all critical events and stabilize the patient rapidly, thus preventing death. The variety of crises are different, and so the resources necessarily must be situationally appropriate. An effective rapid response system will have a carefully prepared efferent limb.