An analysis of the utilisation of an intensive care unit.

We monitored the response to intensive care of 480 patients by calculating the difference in their organ failure score on the day of admission and that on the day of discharge, and related the response to hospital outcome. The patients were classified into: A) those who benefited (33%), B) those who might have benefited (28%), C) those who would never or would no longer have benefited (18%) and D) those who did not require intensive care management (21%). The criteria used were response to therapy, individually predicted outcome, hospital outcome and perceived need for intensive care. Group C patients used up 26.8% of the total intensive care unit bed days, while group D patients occupied 3.7%. We concluded that an acute terminal care unit to care for group C patients who have no hope of survival is more appropriate to the needs of our hospital than an intermediate care unit for overnight monitoring of uncomplicated postoperative and non-operative patients (group D).