Medical emergency response in a sub-acute hospital: improving the model of care for deteriorating patients.

Objective: To assess the frequency, characteristics and outcomes of medical emergency response (MER) calls in a sub-acute hospital setting.

Methods: The present study was a retrospective observational study in a sub-acute hospital providing aged care, palliative care, rehabilitation, veteran's mental health and elective surgical services. We assessed annual MER call numbers between 2005 and 2011 in the context of contemporaneous changes to hospital services.

Factors involved in intensive care unit mortality following medical retrieval: identifying differences between intensive care unit survivors and non-survivors.

Objective: The study aimed to determine factors related to ICU mortality in critically ill patients transferred by Adult Retrieval Victoria (ARV) medical staff. Patients who died in ICU after interhospital transfer were compared against those who survived.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of ARV cases between 1 January 2009 and 30 June 2010.