The Medical Emergency Team (MET): a model for the district general hospital

Background: Most hospitals have a Cardiac Arrest Team, activated after cardiopulmonary arrest. The Medical Emergency Team (MET) is a newer concept, encompassing a proactive response to a wide range of emergencies with the aim of preventing irreversible organ failure and cardiopulmonary arrest. Aim: To describe the application of the MET model to the district general hospital, the spectrum of clinical conditions encountered, outcomes and administrative problems. Method: Data regarding each MET activation was collected prospectively. Results: The MET responded to 68 calls to 63 patients in 12 months. The mean age was 60.4 years (range: neonatal to 94 years). The most common conditions leading to MET activation were chest pain (19.1%), cardiopulmonary arrest (14.7%), seizures (14.7%) and respiratory distress (13.2%). Conclusions: This paper demonstrates that the application of the MET model to the district general hospital improves the process of patient care. We are unable to conclude whether the MET alters morbidity or mortality for hospital inpatients.