Abstract

Significant effort is mobilized in intensive care patients to establish a highly developed culture of patient safety. Despite that, there may still be room for improvement. Intensive care unit (ICU) patients represent a particularly vulnerable group, for they are often incapacitated to express feelings and needs. Patient safety is a multilevel process, the pitfalls and potential detrimental outcomes are described by the later discussed Swiss cheese model. The key principles of patient safety-related actions and behaviors discussed below are clarity and simplicity, organized workflow, protocols and guidelines, monitoring change and adherence, hygiene, patient monitoring and creating an optimal working environment.

Keywords:Patient safety; Simplicity; Clarity; Electronic documentation; Organized workflow; Leadership stratification; Continuity of care; Clinical trials; Disinfectants; Depth of anaesthesia monitoring; Stress; Noise

Abbreviations:ICU: Intensive Care Unit; SALA: Sound Alike, Look Alike Medications; NEWS: National Early Warning Scores; NCS: Neecham Confusion Scale; DOS: Delirium Observation Screening Scale; UTI: Urinary Tract Infection; AE COPD: Acute Exacerbated Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; EMA: European Medicines Agency; ARDS: Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome; LOS: Length of Stay; CLABSI: Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection; CHC: Chlorhexidine: DOA: Depth Of Anaesthesia; POCD: Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction; BSR: Burst Suppression Ratio