Are medical emergency teams to reduce critical deterioration events cost-effective?

The costs of operating a medical emergency team to reduce critical deterioration events in children's hospitals can plausibly be recovered along with a modest reduction in those events, according to a study published in Pediatrics.

Researchers conducted a single-center cohort study between July 2007 and March 2012 to determine the cost of critical deterioration events — unplanned transfers to the intensive care unit with mechanical ventilation or vasopressors in the 12 hours after transfer — and compared that with transfers to the ICU without critical deterioration. Researchers then performed a cost-benefit analysis, which also evaluated different medical emergency team compositions and staffing models.

The study found that patients who had critical deterioration cost the hospital $99,773 more during their post-event hospital stay compared to patients transferred to the ICU without critical deterioration. Annual medical emergency team operating costs ranged from $287,145 for a nurse and respiratory therapist team with concurrent responsibilities to $2,358,112 for a nurse, respiratory therapist and ICU attending physician freestanding team.

In base-case analysis, a nurse, respiratory therapist and ICU attending physician team with concurrent responsibilities cost $350,698 per year, equivalent to a reduction of 3.5 critical deterioration events.

More Articles on Quality:

CDC: Risk of Ebola spreading to US unlikely
CLEAN surgical safety program can reduce SSI risk
Study: Fist bumps transmit less bacteria than handshakes

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Featured Whitepapers

Featured Webinars