Anest. intenziv. Med. 2012;23(3):129-132

How to perform daily rounds in the ICU?Intesive Care Medicine - Special Article

Matějovič Martin

1. interní klinika, Univerzita Karlova v Praze, Lékařská fakulta v Plzni a Fakultní nemocnice Plzeň

Intensive care medicine is characterized by extreme complexity generating large quantities of highly dynamic data. Daily rounds have become an integral part of critical care medicine, aimed at comprehensive analysis of the data and providing excellent care. To fulfill its role, the structure and process of an ICU round have to be clearly defined. Key components of an ICU round include communication of information within and between all members of the critical care staff, exact assessment of the patient's status, setting strategic short- and long-term goals, and assignment of tasks and responsibilities. This article summarizes the basic aspects of an ideal ICU round and discusses a quality checklist that must be carried out for every critically ill patient.

Keywords: clinical round; intensive care unit; critical illness; checklist; quality of care

Received: May 6, 2012; Accepted: May 31, 2012; Published: June 1, 2012  Show citation