Recognition, Assessment and Physiological Interpretation of Deterioration (RAPID) - Level 6 and 7

This module offers you, a registered healthcare practitioner with a minimum of 6 months experience caring for acutely ill adults, the opportunity to enhance your ability to recognise, assess and interpret physiological indicators of acute deterioration. This will enable you to confidently recognise early signs of physiological deterioration, and articulate your concerns to others. The early recognition of deterioration is a core skill required of many healthcare professionals. It is however an increasingly challenging skill to develop and maintain, due to the increase in complexity of the patient population. 

What's covered in the course?

This module aligns with the Professional Practice Programme philosophy and is designed to be flexible and practice-led. A blended learning approach is taken, incorporating classroom sessions, small group workshops and online activities via Moodle. As well as engaging in both directed and self-directed learning activities, you will be an active partner in your own learning and development. In return you will receive regular feedback and feed forward aimed at developing your academic skills. You will have the opportunity to discuss your progress with the module at frequent intervals throughout the course. 

Why Choose Us?

• Clinically focused content that addresses the challenges of the increasingly older and more complex patient population
• An opportunity to develop your confidence and skills specifically in the recognition and management of acutely ill adults
• A strong focus on current issues in acute care, and the practical application of knowledge
• Each module has a bespoke Moodle virtual learning environment to support your continued learning off campus
• A big choice of optional modules allows you to build a bespoke learning experience, most appropriate to your career plans
• Ongoing support from university staff to facilitate your development as a learner

Course structure

This module also aligns with the Management of Acute Deterioration module on the acute pathway. This module should therefore ideally be studied first, if you plan to undertake both.It can of course however be taken as a module but itself, to achieve 20 credits (at level 6 or 7).

The Shape of Caring Review (2015) highlighted that the number of people with one, two or more long-term conditions is rapidly increasing. Alongside this, the number of people aged 85 or older is predicted to double in the next 25 years, and treble in the next 35 years (NCEPOD 2010). You will be supported during this course to develop your recognition skills to respond to these challenges.

Despite the introduction of early warning systems, critical care outreach teams and many other patient safety initiatives, a significant amount of evidence has been reported in the last decade that highlights inadequacies in the care that acutely ill adults receive. In particular, in relation to the poor recognition of episodes of acute deterioration in health. NCEPOD (2012) concluded that as many as 38% of in- hospital cardiac arrests in the UK could be avoided with better care. Signs of deterioration were present in over 75% of the 739 patients that were expertly reviewed, but these were “poorly recognised, acted on infrequently and escalated to more senior doctors infrequently” (NCEPOD 2012 p13).  These findings have been mirrored by a multitude of other reports over the last decade, and therefore further support the usefulness of this course.