Innovative solutions: leading the way: an innovative approach to support nurses on general care units with an early nursing intervention team.

In an effort to improve patient outcomes, there has been a global initiative to prevent avoidable adverse events. The rapid response team or medical emergency team concept has been in existence for the past several years and there has been a significant improvement in patient outcomes. This article will describe one institution's success in taking this concept even further by rounding on general care units before patient problems are evident. The focus of this discussion will be on the remarkably positive nursing staff outcomes that have been achieved as a result of a program called the Early Nursing Intervention Team, a totally nurse-led program.