Features, risk factors, and outcomes of older internal medicine patients triggering a medical emergency team call

Abstract

Background: Information about the epidemiology of older Internal Medicine patients receiving medical emergency team (MET) calls is limited. We assessed the prevalence, characteristics, risk factors, and outcomes of this vulnerable group. Methods: Internal Medicine patients aged >75 years who were admitted via the Emergency Department to a tertiary hospital between January 2015 to December 2018 and who activated a MET call were compared to patients without MET call activation during the same time period. Outcome measures included management post-MET call, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission rates, discharge disposition, length of hospital stays (LOS), and in-patient mortality. Results: There ..