Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · Jul 2011
Family members' experiences of "wait and see" as a communication strategy in end-of-life decisions.
The aim of this study is to examine family members' experiences of end-of-life decision-making processes in Norwegian intensive care units (ICUs) to ascertain the degree to which they felt included in the decision-making process and whether they received necessary information. Were they asked about the patient's preferences, and how did they view their role as family members in the decision-making process? ⋯ Families are uncertain whether or how they can participate in the decision-making process. They need unambiguous communication and honest information to be able to take part in the decision-making process. We suggest that clinicians in Norwegian ICUs need more training in the knowledge and skills of effective communication with families of dying patients.
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Intensive care medicine · Jul 2011
Biography Historical ArticleThe birth of intensive care medicine: Björn Ibsen's records.
The birth of intensive care medicine was a process that took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, during and after the poliomyelitis epidemic in 1952/1953. The events that led to the creation of the first intensive care unit in the world in December 1953 are well described. It is generally agreed upon that the start of the process was the fact that an anaesthesiologist (Björn Ibsen) was brought out of the operating theatre and asked to use his skills on a 12-year-old girl suffering from polio. ⋯ When first Ibsen realised what could be done with his skills, he proved to be one of the most progressive and inventive doctors seen in modern medicine. An interview with Prof. Ibsen in 2006 is published as an Online Resource to the article.
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Intensive care medicine · Jul 2011
International expert statement on training standards for critical care ultrasonography.
Training in ultrasound techniques for intensive care medicine physicians should aim at achieving competencies in three main areas: (1) general critical care ultrasound (GCCUS), (2) "basic" critical care echocardiography (CCE), and (3) advanced CCE. A group of 29 experts representing the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) and 11 other critical care societies worldwide worked on a potential framework for organizing training adapted to each area of competence. ⋯ There was 100% agreement among the participants that general critical care ultrasound and "basic" critical care echocardiography should be mandatory in the curriculum of intensive care unit (ICU) physicians. It is the role of each critical care society to support the implementation of training in GCCUS and basic CCE in its own country.