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Metabolic equivalents (METs) serve as a standardized measure to assess physical activity levels and the energy expenditure associated with various exercises. Specifically, METs quantify how much oxygen is consumed per kilogram of body weight while performing an activity, allowing healthcare professionals to evaluate a patient’s functional capacity during stress testing or exercise protocols.

Monitoring METs is essential because they help indicate a person's level of functional aerobic impairment—how well their aerobic metabolism can deliver oxygen to their muscles during physical exertion. This measure can assist in determining a patient's readiness to engage in physical activities, the severity of cardiovascular conditions, or the efficacy of a rehabilitation program. It provides a clearer picture of a person's fitness level and can guide appropriate exercise prescriptions.

The other options relate to aspects not directly measured by METs. While anxiety may influence a patient's performance, it is not a direct outcome communicated through METs. Workload in different stages of an exercise protocol has a connection to METs but is more about the specific exercise intensity rather than the measurement of aerobic capacity. Similarly, a targeted endpoint for the exam might be informed by various metrics during testing, but it does not reflect what METs quantify. Overall, METs primarily focus on assessing functional aerobic impairment, making that interpretation the most accurate