Researchers observed PICU bed utilization at a tertiary-care children’s hospital. They found that 82 percent of bed hours were for critical care services and 18 percent were for noncritical care services. When the PICU was at full capacity, 75 percent of the time at least one bed was used for noncritical care services, and 37 percent of the time at least two beds were used for these services.
The authors concluded that while the PICU delivered critical care services most of the time, noncritical care services were also provided a significant amount of the time. They suggested PICU bed utilization be studied to improve patient flow.
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