Cognitive biases can impact the type of care a patient receives and their subsequent outcomes, particularly in the emergency department which operates under time and resource constraints. This review identified 18 studies on cognitive biases in emergency physicians and nurses. Most studies focused on implicit bias and on physicians. Of the five studies focused solely on nurses, all assessed bias in emergency department triage.

Rapid response team (RRT) activations bring together a team of providers to immediately assess and treat a patient who is rapidly deteriorating. This mixed-methods study examined the characteristics of a collaborative RRT model in one Australian tertiary care hospital. The majority of activations occurred in general medicine units and some patients (approximately 5%) had more than five activations. Qualitative interviews with nurses and physicians highlighted how the collaborative RRT model improves patient safety and optimized early detection and management of patient deterioration.