DeVita MA, Hillman K, Bellomo R (Eds): Medical Emergency Teams: Implementation and Outcome Measurement,1st edition. New York: Springer

Excerpt

Technical advances in critical care medicine have seen the rapid development and expansion of the specialty. Inevitably, this has created a dichotomy between the standards of care in the intensive care unit and those on general wards. To redress this balance, teams of staff trained in critical care have been established in some institutions to deliver critical care throughout the hospital regardless of geographical location. The medical emergency team (MET) is one approach to this problem. It is reported that other initiatives such as the establishment of trauma teams took up to 10 years to prove a reduction in morbidity and mortality. It is therefore forecast that the MET will over time become established practice, improving the quality of care for the patients it serves. …