The impact of a better coordination between emergency and intensive care units in the care of critically ill patients

Abstract

The need for critical care services is increasing in Chile. Critical care bedsand specialists in this area are scarce. In this article we discuss some aspectsthat hamper the care of critically ill patients from their arrival to the emergencydepartment to their transfer to the ICU. Special emphasis is given to systemsaturation and its multiple causes. The benefits of an integrative approach betweenemergency medicine and critical care specialists are highlighted and somesolutions are proposed to strengthen this partnership.