Integrating rapid response teams and structured care pathways improves outcomes in status epilepticus: A prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated nursing model combining a rapid response team (RRT) with a structured care pathway (SCP) for the emergency management of status epilepticus (SE). METHODS: This study included 168 SE patients treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University. Patients were divided into an intervention group (n = 86), managed via the novel RRT-SCP model (June 2023-May 2025), and a historical control group (n = 82), which received routine care (June 2021-May 2023). Key performance indicators included the 2-h seizure control rate, physician response time, diagnostic test completion time, nonconvulsive SE (NCSE) recognition rate, complication incidence, and family satisfaction. RESULTS: The intervention group demonstrated a significantly higher 2-h seizure control rate compared to the control group (87.2% vs. 72.0%, p < 0.05). Both physician response time (5.2 ± 1.5 min vs. 8.4 ± 1.7 min) and diagnostic test completion time (37.1 ± 10.5 min vs. 53.6 ± 12.8 min) were significantly shorter in the intervention group (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the intervention group showed superior early recognition of NCSE (77.8% vs. 23.1%, p < 0.01), a reduced complication rate (17.4% vs. 49.0%, p < 0.05), and higher family satisfaction (91.2% vs. 74.7%, p < 0.01). Year-by-year sensitivity analyses showed generally consistent directions of effect, particularly for response time and complication reduction. CONCLUSION: The RRT-SCP model can significantly improve the rescue efficiency and success rate for SE patients while reducing complications.