Organizational Change in Critical Care: The Next Magic Bullet?

Abstract

Unlike other fields of medicine, critical care is not defined by a unique procedure or, in some countries, even by a unique type of clinician. While often defined geographically as in, critical care is what happens in an intensive care unit, this definition has become increasingly untenable as critical care is frequently provided in emergency departments, on wards, and during transport. Therefore, the innovation we recognize as modern critical care is less a technologic creation and more of an organizational innovation. This book is designed to offer evidence-based solutions to important questions. How might outcomes improve without a specific targeted improvement in measurable processes? Who should deliver critical care and what sort of training should they have? How do you facilitate and enhance team communication and leadership? Can critical care be optimized by regionalizing, specializing, or outreach? How can care be organized under extreme scenarios of pandemic and limited resources? Can staff burnout be prevented or its effects mitigated? Our field has an even greater responsibility to incorporate the available information on organizing critical care and improving quality at the hospital level as we are developing more compelling evidence for patient level interventions.