Critical Care Delivery in the Emergency Department: Bringing the Intensive Care Unit to the Patient. 2024
Boarding of critically ill patients in the Emergency Department (ED) has increased over the past 20 years, leading hospital systems to explore ED-focused models of critical care delivery. ED-critical care delivery models vary between health systems due to differences in hospital resources and the needs of the critically ill patients boarding in the ED. Three published systems include an ED critical care intensivist consultation model, a hybrid model, and an ED-intensive care unit model. Paraphrasing the Greek philosopher, Plato, "necessity is the mother of invention." This proverb rings true as EDs are facing an increasing challenge of caring for boarding patients, especially those who are critically ill.