Medical emergency team demand is 30 to 40 calls per 1,000 admissions: at one teaching hospital

At the Lahey Hospital and Medical Center (Burlington, Mass.), a 317-bed teaching hospital, they have medical emergency teams (METs) prepared to respond to anyone who develops a critical illness while at the facility — inpatients or others.  This study is primarily about the nature of MET activations to care for nonhospitalized patients.  These nonhospitalized patients were primarily located in the outpatient clinics or in the phlebotomy area of the lab.

Here are some interesting statistics:

• 1,655 MET calls total in the 2-year study period from Mar. 2011 to Feb. 2013 (remember — this is for just one teaching hospital)
• Of these, just under 30 percent were for nonhospitalized patients
• The inpatient demand was about 30 to 40 calls per 1,000 hospital admissions

Source: Gilman, M.P., Lei, Y., Liesching, T.N., and Dargin, J.M. (2014, Dec.). An assessment of critical care interventions and resource utilization during medical emergency team activations in nonhospitalized patients. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. 40(12), 567-574.  Click here for access to the publisher’s website: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/jcaho/jcjqs/2014/00000040/00000012/art00006;jsessionid=1j5967v1ofb6r.alice Posted by AHA Resource Center (312) 422-2050, rc@aha.org