Action card – intensive care unit (ICU) physician |  |
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Initial actions | Â |
   • Make contact with the incident medical director (emergency department consultant). |  |
   • Check details of the incident. |  |
   • Assess the need for ICU beds and the timeframe. |  |
   • Liase with the senior ICU nurse and identify potential increases in capacity. |  |
   • Liase with the senior anaesthetist and senior surgeon. |  |
   • Consider the level of response required and identify staffing. |  |
   • Establish the need for satellite ICU/high-dependency unit beds or other beds. |  |
   • Ensure a sufficient number of runners to relay information on patient movements. |  |
   • Establish an ICU control room with updates. |  |
Clinical care | Â |
   • Identify current patients suitable for transfer. |  |
   • Designate senior ICU medical representation for the resuscitation room. |  |
   • Identify likely ICU patients and their dispersal (theatres, computed tomography, or direct admissions). |  |
   • Ensure that care is not compromised in existing non-incident ICU patients. |  |
   • In the event that resources are overwhelmed, liase with other senior clinicians about the diverting of patients. |  |
Post-incident | Â |
   • Identify pitfalls in planning early and address them at the earliest opportunity. |  |
   • Ensure the ongoing welfare and support of staff, patients, and relatives. |  |