Introduction of the ‘RAPP’ (Respiration, Activity, Perfusion, Position) tool to minimise the risk of sudden unexpected postnatal collapse (3 April 2019)

Summary

The neonatal practice development nurse and infant feeding midwife at Bedford Hospital NHS Trust led a programme of work to adopt and implement the ‘RAPP’ (Respirations, Activity, Perfusion, Position/Tone) tool in their maternity unit. This programme led to improved outcomes for new-born babies in the unit.

Content

Key learning points

• Staff reported feeling increasingly confident in supporting skin to skin contact and monitoring risk factors through using RAPP, which improves mothers’ experiences as they are able to spend more time with their newborn.

• Initial audit information suggests that the implementation of the RAPP tool has supported the prompt recognition and response to deterioration risk factors. This is reducing the need for further intervention by the neonatal team.