Intensive care data--II: A new unit's first two years.

Intensive care units now exist in a large number of hospitals. They vary from one another in many respects, but have one thing in common--high running costs. There are few published reports in recent years of the workload, results and effectiveness of intensive care units. This paper presents data obtained from a new unit in 1977 and 1978, using a computer-controlled system of data storage and analysis. This has provided useful information of an administrative and clinical nature, and has enabled us to compare data from year to year, as well as allowing comparisons with data from other units. The potential exists for such a system to be useful in evaluating criteria for admission and termination of care, and for cost-effectiveness studies.