Intensivist Program to Benefit ICU Patients

A new program that will provide a consistent, specialized care team of board-certified intensivists and acute care nurse practitioners, designed to improve outcomes and promote patient safety, has been instituted at St. John's Hospital (St. Paul, MN, USA)

The role of the intensivist is to enhance the care of the patient and complement the role of the primary physician. Intensivists coordinate patient care with as many doctors involved as appropriate and determine patient placement and care priorities. Primary care doctors participate in the co-management of their patients' critical care needs, while intensivists collaborate with other specialists. Primary care doctors have the option of delegating care while their patient is in the intensive care unit (ICU), with program members managing multidiscipline team rounds and conducting family conferences.

The program, called Intensive Care Unit Service Line, is administered by a metropolitan health-care system (HealthEast) and Pulmonary & Critical Care Associates (PCCA) in St. Paul. "Intensivist care in the ICU has been proven to enhance patient outcomes,” said Linda Funk, M.D., of PCCA. "Most ICUs don't have intensivists managing care. When they do, the data are clear that patients have fewer complications, spend less time in the ICU, and have lower mortality rates.”




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