Ratiani L and Ketevan Machavariani
Critical care medicine encompasses the diagnosis and treatment of a wide variety of clinical problems representing the extreme of human disease. Critically ill patients require intensive care by a coordinated team. The critical care specialist (sometimes referred to as an "intensivist") may be the primary provider of care or a consultant. The intensivist needs to be competent not only in a broad range of conditions common among critically ill patients but also with the technological procedures and devices used in intensive care settings. The care of critically ill patients also raises many complicated ethical and social issues, and the intensivist must be competent in areas such as end-of-life decisions, advance directives, estimating prognosis, and counseling of patients and their families.
The critical medicine unit is intended for patients who benefit from more detailed observation and invasive treatment than would be possible in the intensive care unit or inpatient settings. The critical medicine unit is the highest level of patient care and treatment. The main purpose of this department is the final recovery of the patient. It includes the constant monitoring from doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and others. The critical medicine unit is designed for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of various organ failures. It should have nurses, patient ratio 1:1, additional nurses if necessary, 24 hour continuous monitoring, and possibility of complete support in cases of various organs failures.
