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01-08-2005 | Commentary

Medical emergency teams: deciphering clues to crises in hospitals

Author: Michael DeVita

Published in: Critical Care | Issue 4/2005

Abstract

Cardiac arrest in hospitals is usually preceded by prolonged deterioration. If the deterioration is recognized and treated, often death can be prevented. Medical emergency teams (MET) are a mechanism to fill this need. The epidemiology of patient deteriorations is not well understood. Jones and colleagues provide data regarding the temporal pattern of METs. They describe a diurnal variation to crises that strongly suggests hospital processes may systematically ignore (and find) patient deterioration. Hospitals in the future must develop methodologies to find more reliably patients who are in crisis, and then respond to them swiftly and effectively to prevent unnecessary deaths.

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Title: Medical emergency teams: deciphering clues to crises in hospitals
Author: Michael DeVita
Publication date: 01-08-2005
Publisher: BioMed Central
Published in: Critical Care / Issue 4/2005
Electronic ISSN: 1364-8535
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/cc3721

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Medical emergency teams: deciphering clues to crises in hospitals

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

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