title: Injuries occurring in hospital staff attending medical emergency team (MET) calls--a prospective, observational study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Clinical emergency response systems such as medical emergency teams (MET) have been implemented in many hospitals worldwide, but the effect that these systems have on injuries to hospital staff is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the rate and nature of injuries occurring in hospital staff attending MET calls.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was a prospective, observational study, using a structured interview, of 1265 MET call participants, in a 650 bed urban, teaching hospital. Data was collected on the number and the nature of injuries occurring in hospital staff attending MET calls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over 131 days, 248 MET calls were made. An average of 8.1 staff participated in each MET call. The overall injury rate was 13 (95% confidence interval (CI) 7-20) per 1000 MET participant attendances, and 70 (95% CI 38-102) per 1000 MET calls. One injured participant required time off-work, an injury requiring time off-work rate of 1 (95% CI 0-4) per 1000 MET participant attendances, or 4 (95% CI 0-27) per 1000 MET calls. The relative risk of sustaining an injury if the MET participant performed chest compressions, contacted patient body fluids on clothing or protective equipment, without direct contact to skin or mucosa, or lifted the patient or a patient body part was 11.0 (95% CI 4.2-28.6), 8.7 (95% CI 3.4-22.0) and 5.5 (95% CI 2.1-14.2), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rate of injuries occurring to hospital staff attending MET calls is relatively low, and many injuries could be considered relatively minor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Intensive Care, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Concord, Sydney, NSW, Australia. winston.cheung@email.cs.nsw.gov.au
authors.forename: Winston
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Janice
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gullick
authors.forename: Govindasamy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Thanakrishnan
authors.forename: Rodney
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Winnie
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Au
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Uy
authors.forename: Margaretha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fick
authors.forename: Pradeep
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Narayan
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ralston
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D004635:Emergency Medicine; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000209:etiology*