Early impact of medical emergency team implementation in a country with limited medical resources: A before-and-after study

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine whether earlier clinical intervention by a medical emergency team (MET) can improve patient outcomes in an Asian country. Methods: A nonrandomized study was performed during two 6-month periods before and after the introduction of a MET. Results: The rates of cardiac arrests and potentially preventable cardiac arrests were lower after MET introduction, but the differences did not reach statistical significance. There was a statistically significant decrease in the incidence of cardiac arrests in the first 3 months of the academic year (2.3 vs 1.2 per 1000 admissions, P = .012). Introduction of MET reduced the time interval from physiologic derangement meeting MET activation criteria to intensive care unit (ICU) admission (derangement-to-ICU interval) (10.8 vs 6.3 hours, P < .001). Multivariate analysis revealed that the mortality of unplanned ICU admissions was independently associated with simplified acute physiology score 3 and derangement-to-ICU interval. Conclusions: Introduction of a MET reduced the number of cardiac arrests in the general ward during the first 3 months of the academic year. Introduction of MET also decreased the derangement-to-ICU interval, which was an independent predictor of survival in patients with unplanned ICU admissions. Therefore, MET introduction may lead to improved outcomes for hospitalized patients in a country with limited medical resources. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.