摘要:

The number of critically ill elderly continues to rise, causing health care workers to be faced with decisions regarding aggressiveness of care, rationing of resources, and optimizing outcome. Although survival rates in the critically ill elderly may be lower than those in the younger critically ill, health care workers must focus on customizing treatment to optimize physiologic recovery, quality of life, and functional status. We advocate better research designs incorporating long-term outcomes and genetic predisposition as a means of improving care in the elderly critically ill.

ISSN:1070-5295    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2003

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Purpose of reviewThe demand for high-quality care is increasing. A variety of therapies have been shown to improve patient outcomes in critical care. Nevertheless, relatively little research has focused on identifying how to deliver those therapies effectively and efficiently. As a result, the most cost-effective opportunity to improve patient outcomes will likely come not from discovering new therapies but from discovering how to deliver therapies that are known to be effective.Recent findingsThe authors review the evidence regarding changing behavior of physicians and discuss barriers to translating evidence into practice. They also provide practical examples of how they applied the concepts of teamwork, independent redundancy, and reduced complexity to change the behavior of physicians and improve quality of care.SummaryBecause quality is a multidimensional construct, it is unlikely that a single approach will be effective. ICU physicians and hospital leaders must assume a leadership role, implementing a combination of different approaches and developing appropriate systems for patient care.

ISSN:1070-5295    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2003

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:1070-5295    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2003

数据来源: OVID