Progressing care in the Medical High Dependency Unit: unit configurations, staffing, standards, and daily routine

Progressing care in the Medical High Dependency Unit: unit configurations, staffing, standards, and daily routine

There are currently various models of care for provision of high dependency care for acutely ill medical patients across the UK. Acute Physicians are integral to the development and progression of this both challenging and rewarding area of medicine. This article outlines current standards, best evidence, and our own experience of both setting up and developing a medical high dependency unit (MHDU).

[download-attachments container="div" style="list" display_icon="1" display_count="1" display__size="0"]

References

  1. Department of Health, Comprehensive critical care, 2000
  2. Masterton G, Baudoin S et al, Guidelines for provision of intensive care services, Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, Edition 1, 2015
  3. Elliot FM, Campbell L, Dorward AJ, Scottish Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee on High Dependency Unit Beds, Scottish Government, 2008
  4. Pronovost PJ, Angus DC, Dorman T et al, Physician staffing patterns and clinical outcomes in critically ill patients: a systematic review, JAMA, 2002, 288(17), p2151-2162
  5. Scottish Intensive Care Society Audit Group (SICSAG), Audit of critical care in Scotland – 2016 report, 2016, ISD Scotland Publications
  6. Scottish Intensive Care Society Audit Group (SICSAG) and Quality Improvement Group, Minimum standards and quality indicators for critical care in Scotland, Version 3.0, 2015, ISD Scotland Publications
  7. Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, Core standards for Intensive Care Units, Edition 1, 2014
  8. Vincent JL, Give your patient a fast hug (at least) once a day, Critical care medicine, 2005, 33(6), p1225-9
  9. Sharma S, Peters MJ, “Safety by DEFAULT”: introduction and impact of a paediatric ward round checklist, Critical Care, 2013, 17(5): R232 doi: 10.1186/cc13055.
  10. Hale G, McNab, D, Developing a ward round checklist to improve patient safety, BMJ Quality Improvement Reports, 2015, 4 doi:10.1136/bmjquality.u204775.w2440
  11. Patel R, Thiagarajan P, Structured approach in improving weekend handovers in a medical high dependency unit, BMJ Quality Improvement Reports, 2014, doi: 10.1136/bmjquality.u205194.w2142
  12. Macfadyen R, McConnell PC, Ethics in practice: is it futile to talk about “futility”?, European Journal of Anaesthesiology, 2016, 33(7), p473-474
  13. Hannah J, Wright C, Wilkin D, Treatment escalation plans in acute care: One TEP at a time!, NHS Scotland Event, 2016, http://nhsscotlandevent.com/sites/default/files/2016%20-%20NHSScotland%20Event%20-%20posters%20-%20S25%20-%20proofed%20-%20May%202016.pdf
  14. Intensive care national audit and research centre (ICNARC), Annual quality report 2015/2016 for adult critical care
  15. Kelly N, Blake S, Plunkett A, Learning from excellence in healthcare: a new approach to incident reporting, Archives of Disease in Childhood, 2016, 101, p788-791

Request Permissions

To request copyright permission to republish or share portions of our works, please visit Copyright Clearance Center’s (CCC) Marketplace website by clicking the button below:

Get Permission

Progressing care in the Medical High Dependency Unit: unit configurations, staffing, standards, and daily routine

20th April 2017
PMID: 28424800
Authors Affiliations
Christopher John Wright MBChB, MRCP, FFICM; Department of Critical Care, 1st Floor, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, 1345 Govan Road, Glasgow, G51 4TF
Russell Allan Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, 1345 Govan Road, Glasgow, G51 4TF

Progressing care in the Medical High Dependency Unit: unit configurations, staffing, standards, and daily routine

Cite this article as:

Wright CJ, Allan R. Progressing care in the Medical High Dependency Unit: unit configurations, staffing, standards, and daily routine. Acute Med. 2017;16(1):16-20. PMID: 28424800.

Progressing care in the Medical High Dependency Unit: unit configurations, staffing, standards, and daily routine

Share this article

Click the icon of the social media platform on which you would like to share this article.


Shopping Basket
Scroll to Top