Improving Hot Debrief Completion Rates After Rapid Response Team Events Through Qr Code Access And Digital Reminders: A Quality Improvement Project

Author

• Carl V. Daniel, Prairie View A&M University

Date of Award

8-2026

Document Type

DNP Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Degree Discipline

Nursing Practice

Abstract

Introduction: Rapid response teams (RRTs) are critical for stabilizing acutely deteriorating patients. However, structured hot debriefs, brief reflections held immediately after emergencies, are inconsistently documented, despite their benefits for communication, safety, and staff well-being. At a large academic hospital in Southeast Texas, hot debriefs were only documented for 35.76% of RRT events in 2025. A January 2025 hospital-led survey of clinical emergency response team (CERT) advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) identified time constraints, limited access, and forgetfulness as barriers to completing hot debrief documentation. Purpose: This Doctor of Nursing Practice quality improvement project evaluated whether a bundled intervention, QR code access to forms, SMS reminders, and brief education, increased hot debrief documentation rates after RRT events. Methods: Guided by the Plan-Do-Check-Act framework, this project was implemented at a large academic hospital in Southeast Texas utilizing a pre-/post-intervention design. The project involved 40 CERT APRNs conducting adult inpatient debriefs across 1,089 RRT events in three months. Microsoft Forms was used for secure data collection, and pre-/post-intervention surveys assessed perceived barriers and attitudes. Intervention activities included QR code distribution, scheduled twice-daily SMS reminders, and structured debriefing education. Descriptive statistics and one-proportion z-tests were used to compare pre- and post-intervention documentation rates. Results: Hot debrief completion rates increased from 35.76% pre-intervention (1,041 of 2,911 events in 2024) to 80.1% post-intervention (872 of 1,089 events); a one-proportion z-test demonstrated that the improvement was statistically significant (z = 30.51, p < .001). Additionally, Theory of Planned Behavior survey results showed significant improvements in attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intention related to hot debrief completion. Conclusion/Implications: The bundled intervention significantly improved hot debrief documentation compliance by addressing key barriers, including accessibility and forgetfulness. The approach offered a scalable, cost-effective strategy to enhance communication, support staff recovery, and strengthen safety learning in acute care settings.

Keywords: hot debrief, rapid response team, QR code and rapid response team, hot debrief and digital reminders, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and quality improvement quality improvement and emergency response, documentation compliance, PDCA cycle

Committee Chair/Advisor

Sharisse Hebert

Committee Member

Mary Woodard

Committee Member

Antonae’ Jackson

Committee Member

Karen Powell

Publisher

Prairie View A&M University

Rights

Date of Digitization

7/31/2026

Contributing Institution

John B Coleman Library

City of Publication

Prairie View

MIME Type

Application/PDF

Recommended Citation

Daniel, C. (2026). Improving Hot Debrief Completion Rates After Rapid Response Team Events Through Qr Code Access And Digital Reminders: A Quality Improvement Project. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/dnp-projects/26