One of the most revolutionary hospital patient care protocols in medical history, the Medical Emergency Team (MET), will be in the spotlight this Friday.
That’s when the Ingham Institute and South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) 10th Annual Research & Teaching Showcase is held at Liverpool Hospital.
The MET system was born out of Liverpool Hospital 25 years ago and is now the global mandate for nurses and hospital staff to respond to patients experiencing specific warning signs that lead to their rapid deterioration such as elevated heart rates and low blood pressure.
A progressive concept that challenged historical patient care methods, MET calls are made via a phone call or emergency button which alerts hospital staff to a patient suffering from these vital warning signs.
MET was the brainchild of Prof Ken Hillman, director of the Simpson Centre for Health Services Research at the Ingham Institute.
Prof Hillman said that he developed the concept in the UK after seeing a number of patients deteriorate quickly with dire consequences.
On reflection the patients had warning signs that could have been managed much earlier and lives saved.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“My MET system journey started at Liverpool Hospital in 1990. It was emerging as a major research and teaching hospital so it was a great place to introduce new concepts and change thinking from the bottom up,” Professor Hillman said.[/social_quote]
The success of MET skyrocketed quickly when it was rolled out in hospitals throughout NSW in 1994.
Today MET stands tall as the global treatment standard in hospitals across Australia, the UK, Northern Europe, Asia, Canada and the USA.
Professor Hillman, who will headline as a speaker at Friday’s Showcase, said that the 25 year anniversary of MET is a very proud moment.
He attributed its success to a remarkable team effort co-ordinated by the Simpson Centre for Health Services Research, located at the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research.
“Research has shown that up to 70 per cent of deaths, cardiac arrests and admissions to the Intensive Care Unit can be avoided by MET,’’ Prof Hillman said.
“By getting an earlier report of the warning signs and having a cohesive hospital system that drives rapid response and treatment, the health outcomes and mortality of these patients starts to improve dramatically,” he said.
Ingham Institute and SWSLHD research director Prof Michael Barton congratulated Professor Hillman on the success of MET and reinforced its importance.
“To develop and implement a system like MET that has transformed hospital systems and patient care the world over is an enormous achievement for Professor Hillman, Liverpool Hospital and the Simpson Centre for Health Services Research team,” Prof Barton said.
SWSLHD chief executive Amanda Larkin said that the 25 year anniversary of MET marked a very proud moment for the history of Liverpool Hospital.
“The MET system, although simplistic in its design, was a revolutionary step forward in patient care,’’ Ms Larkin said.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“I’m proud to say that the MET system at Liverpool Hospital created and implemented is now standard practice in many hospitals within Australia and around the world.”[/social_quote]
Event proceedings for this year’s Showcase will include presentations from Dr Kerry Chant, the deputy director-general for population health and chief health officer fpr nursing, and James Butler, a consumer representative and advocate for cancer community forums.
Cancer community forums are a valuable initiative that brings cancer patients and researchers closer together to shape and develop cancer research projects.
To encourage more active participation by young researchers and students, this year’s Showcase will give higher degree students their moment to shine via the Three Minute Thesis Competition skills development activity.
The hugely popular Closing Debate will conclude the day’s proceedings which will see some of the institute’s top researchers and SWSLHD clinicians battle it out on the highly topical and competitive subject “Placebo treatments should be funded’’.
SNAPSHOT
WHAT: Ingham Institute and SWSLHD 10th Annual Research and Teaching Showcase;
WHEN: Friday, November 27 8:30am – 4pm;
WHERE: Thomas & Rachel Moore Education Centre, Liverpool Hospital.
