An intensive care patient's day is punctuated by the activities of the various members of the medical and nursing team, present 24 hours a day.
Every morning, the doctors examine each patient to establish the diagnosis and evaluate the effect of treatment. This examination will be repeated several times a day, sometimes accompanied by additional tests (x-ray, blood test, ultrasound), depending on the progress and severity of the patient's illness, and also on the findings of the nurse in charge of the patient. This stage is important for prescribing the treatments your loved one needs. These prescriptions are updated as the day progresses, and will be adapted according to the patient's condition and vital parameters (pulse, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, etc.). All these parameters are recorded by a computerized continuous monitoring system and supervised by the nursing team. care team.
A typical day It usually begins early in the morning with blood tests, which are performed so that urgent results can be obtained as early as possible in the day to determine the day's treatment goals.
Nurses conduct rounds to monitor patients and administer treatments at regular intervals (which vary depending on how the departments are organized, approximately every 3–4 hours).A handoff takes place between teams at each shift change. The early morning is a very busy time for patient care: helping patients with their personal hygiene, and the first rounds by resident physicians, attending physicians, and physical therapists.
In the morning, a team meeting is typically held, referred to as a “round” or “staff meeting” depending on the department. This meeting may take place in the patients’ rooms, in a dedicated conference room, or within the unit: it is an opportunity to discuss and determine the therapeutic goals and priorities for the day for each patient. This is an important time, and you will be asked not to interrupt it so that the meeting can be conducted as effectively as possible.
The afternoon is often set aside forscheduled exams, physical therapy sessions, and meetings to discuss patient cases with other specialists or as a team. In the late afternoon, a second rounds allows for a reassessment of the patients’ conditions, followed by a handoff between doctors for the night shift.
It may be necessary to perform tests outside the ward (CT scan, MRI). In this case, the patient is taken to the ICU the test is performed by members of the team who will ensure the patient’s monitoring and safety. These transfers are carried out only when necessary, at a time when the patient’s condition is sufficiently stable. They are therefore often decided and arranged at the last minute, depending on the patient’s clinical progress and the availability of the examination facility, which is why they may occur without your prior notice or while you have planned a visit with your loved one.
The medical team can also call in specialists, who can come to the patient's bed in certain cases, or consult imaging tests remotely. In this way, we maintain an ongoing dialogue with attending physicians, specialists and referring physicians.
At the end of the day, and/or at each shift change, the day shift doctors and nurses share all relevant information with the night shift team, review each patient's history, and pass on the day's events as well as the objectives to be pursued. On-call doctors ensure that prescribed treatments are having the expected effect, examine patients who require them, and adjust treatments if necessary. Monitoring by the paramedical team continues at the same pace at night as during the day, trying as far as possible to create a more subdued atmosphere to protect patients' nycthemeral rhythm (day/night rhythm).