Article Sidebar
Published:
Jan 23, 2008Article Details
Copyright remains in the Author’s name. The work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial Works License. Authors are required to complete and sign an Author Agreement form that outlines Author and Publisher rights and terms of publication. The Agreement form should be uploaded along with other submissions files and any submission will be considered incomplete without it [forthcoming].
Material submitted for publication in the SAMJ is accepted provided it has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. Please inform the editorial team if the main findings of your paper have been presented at a conference and published in abstract form, to avoid copyright infringement. The SAMJ does not hold itself responsible for statements made by the authors.
Previously published images
If an image/figure has been previously published, permission to reproduce or alter it must be obtained by the authors from the original publisher and the figure legend must give full credit to the original source. This credit should be accompanied by a letter indicating that permission to reproduce the image has been granted to the author/s. This letter should be uploaded as a supplementary file during submission.
Main Article Content
National audit of critical care resources in South Africa – open versus closed intensive and high care units
Abstract
Objectives. To evaluate the distribution and functioning of South African intensive care units (ICUs) and high care units (HCUs), in particular the extent to which units were ‘closed units'.
Design and setting. A descriptive, non-interventive, observational study design was used. An audit of all public and private sector ICUs and HCUs in South Africa was
undertaken.
Results. A 100% sample was obtained. A total of 396 acute care public and 256 private hospitals were identified; 23% of public hospitals had ICUs and/or HCUs compared with 84%
of private hospitals. In the public hospitals there were 210 unitsand 238 units in the private hospitals. Only 7% of public units and less than 1% of private units were ‘ideal closed units'.
A total number of 3 414 ICU and high care beds were identified; 71% of beds were in open units versus 29% in closed units. The distribution of ICU and ICU/high care beds
comprised 64% in private sector and 36% (1 223) in public units. A total of 244 024 patients were admitted to all units in South Africa during 2002, of whom 63% were to private units
and 37% to public sector units.
Conclusion. In the face of already limited resources (financial and human) and given the emphasis on primary care medicine (with consequent limited capacity for further ICU
development), it is crucial that existing facilities are maximally utilised. Like the USA we are not in a position to implement the Leapfrog recommendations and must modify our approach
to dealing with South African realities.
South African Medical Journal Vol. 97 (12) 2007: pp. 1319-1322
