Failure to recognize and respond to changes in a patient’s condition is a limitation in the effective utilization of Medical Emergency Teams (METs). A system that uses smartphone technology to facilitate vital signs collection at bedside has been developed. The alerts engine, based upon Mount Sinai Hospital’s (MSH) MET calling criteria, can automatically alert the MET of patients exhibiting abnormal vital signs. The system, without automated alerting, was piloted at MSH. Sensitivity and specificity calculations revealed that the MSH algorithm had a lower sensitivity and specificity than the Cuthbertson or the Modified Early Warning Score algorithms. This suggests that the MSH algorithm, compared to the others, was poor at identifying patients that did and did not require a MET consultation. Furthermore, the low positive predictive value suggests that the majority of alerts were not associated with a MET call. Therefore, the MSH algorithm is not recommended for the automated system.

Failure to recognize and respond to changes in a patient’s condition is a limitation in the effective utilization of Medical Emergency Teams (METs). A system that uses smartphone technology to facilitate vital signs collection at bedside has been developed. The alerts engine, based upon Mount Sinai Hospital’s (MSH) MET calling criteria, can automatically alert the MET of patients exhibiting abnormal vital signs. The system, without automated alerting, was piloted at MSH. Sensitivity and specificity calculations revealed that the MSH algorithm had a lower sensitivity and specificity than the Cuthbertson or the Modified Early Warning Score algorithms. This suggests that the MSH algorithm, compared to the others, was poor at identifying patients that did and did not require a MET consultation. Furthermore, the low positive predictive value suggests that the majority of alerts were not associated with a MET call. Therefore, the MSH algorithm is not recommended for the automated system.