Hello Everyone,
Please find attached the ICU admission/discharge policy of our hospital. It is imperative that we do not admit the patient or keep patients unnecessarily in our ICU, as on occasion it can lead our ICU to go on diversion, especially at times of shortage in ICU nursing staff. If ever a situation arises when our ICU is on diversion but we have a critically ill patient in ER who needs ICU admission or floor patient conditions deteriorates necessitating transfer to ICU, then resident on call in ICU should have a discussion with attending and ICU nurses to evaluate if any existing patient can be transferred out of ICU safely to accommodate a more sick patient. I myself would be more than happy to assist in this process if required. That being said, it is understandable that it may not be possible that every time we will be able to bring the patient in ICU, but the point being is that careful consideration and re-evaluation of existing ICU patients must be domedone before we decline the new admissions and refer them to other facilities. Although ICU admission/discharge policy is there to guide but, physician clinical judgment will always supersede in this matter. Any further suggestions are welcomed.
Thanks.
Vishal Raj, MDMedical Director-ICU