300 recommendations and guidelines on structural and organizational requirements for intensive care units

Abstract

This document provides recommendations and guidelines to improve the structural and human organization of intensive care units (ICU). A working group from the French Fédération de la réanimation identified architectural, structural, and organizational requirements for ICUs after analysis of the French, European and American guidelines and reports. Legal issues were considered according to national decrees and French regional organizational schemes. Intermediate care and specialized intensive care unit organization was not considered. Three hundred operational guidelines and recommendations are given for the following fields: architecture of the unit and patient room; logistics; equipment; communications systems; organization and management of medical and paramedical human resources; activity criteria; teaching and research; patient rights and improvement of patients and family well-being.