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British Journal of Anaesthesia, 2003, Vol. 90, No. 1 5-6
© 2003 The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia

Editorial

Editorial II

Outreach critical care—cash for no questions?

B. H. Cuthbertson1

1 Academic Unit of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK E-mail: b.h.cuthbertson@abdn.ac.uk

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Outreach critical care appears to be such a good idea that sometimes we forget that there is little evidence to support it. It seems clinically and biologically plausible that early recognition of critical illness, followed by timely interventions undertaken by appropriately trained staff, should improve patient outcomes. Indeed, there are many good reasons why we should push this new development forward, but there are also reasons why we should exercise caution.

The outreach concept originated in Liverpool, New South Wales, in 1990 with the development of the Medical Emergency Team (MET).1 The MET was described as an effort to reduce the incidence and improve the outcome of cardiopulmonary arrests, by a team modelled on the principles of early recognition and rapid response. The MET replaced the traditional cardiac arrest team with a more proactive team of critical care doctors and nurses who would use a specified calling system to allow . . . [Full Text of this Article]


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