Intensive Care Medicine or critical care medicine is concerned with providing greater than ordinary medical care and observation to people in a critical or unstable condition.
People requiring intensive care include those recovering after major surgery, with severe head trauma, life-threatening acute illness, respiratory insufficiency, coma, haemodynamic insufficiency, severe fluid imbalance or with the failure of one or more of the major organ systems (life-critical systems or others).
It is generally the most expensive, high technology and resource intensive area of medical care. In the United States estimates of the 2000 expenditure for critical care medicine ranged from US$15-55 billion accounting for about 0.5% of GDP and about 13% of national health care expenditure (Halpern, 2004).
Evidence-based Decision Making in Critical Care Medicine - Tools for promoting the principles of evidence-based decision making in intensive care, with recommendations), links, and a selective journal club.
Meta Description: [ The primary purpose of this site is to provide access to a set of tools to promote the principles of evidence-based decision making in intensive care. ]