Bench-to-bedside review: The MET syndrome – the challenges of researching and adopting medical emergency teams

摘要: Studies of hospital performance highlight the problem 'failure to rescue' in acutely ill patients. This is a deficiency strongly associated with serious adverse events, cardiac arrest, or death. Rapid response systems (RRSs) and their efferent arm, medical emergency team (MET), provide early specialist critical care patients affected by 'MET syndrome': unequivocal physiological instability significant staff concern for non-critical environment. intervention aims prevent arrests, unexpected deaths. Though clinically logical relatively simple, its adoption poses major challenges. Furthermore, research about effectiveness RRS difficult conduct. Sceptics argue that inadequate evidence exists support widespread application. Indeed, supportive based on before-and-after studies, observational investigations, inductive reasoning. However, implementing complex like enormous logistic, political, cultural, financial In addition, double-blinded randomised controlled trials are simply not possible. Instead, as case arrest trauma teams, change practice may be slow progressive, even absence level I evidence. It appears likely accumulation from different settings situations, though methodologically imperfect, will increase rationale logic RRS. A conclusive trial unlikely occur.