At the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Bumrungrad International Hospital, the key to success revolves around highly skilled staff and multidisciplinary teamwork, two elements critical to successful outcomes for ICU patients.

Time is a vital component of the medical care patients receive at Bumrungrad’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU), as are the international standards of care across a wide range of specialties delivered by the ICU’s team of medical professionals accredited by the American Board of Critical Care Medicine in the U.S.
 
Additionally, the ICU is staffed 24 hours a day by multidisciplinary experts on hand to respond quickly to the multitude of situations that can occur. Our team – which consists of professionals with extensive training, expertise and experience in the effective use of medical technologies – works cohesively and communicates effectively to deliver the highest quality care for patients.

Seamless Coordination

All of this means that Bumrungrad International is ready to respond to the critical needs of patients with speed and accuracy. The care we provide, at its heart, focuses on seamless coordination among our expert staff, access to advanced technologies, and maintaining the unit’s robust systems and protocols with vigilance. Such a focus ensures patients receive the most effective treatment and the best possible chance for a successful recovery. And it has enabled Bumrungrad International to stay at the forefront of critical care for many years.
 
The ICU at Bumrungrad serves an average of 12,000-14,000 patients each year, with 5–10 new patients admitted to the ICU each day for treatment. In 2018, Thai nationals made up 52% of intensive care patients, while the remaining 48% were foreign nationals — 16% reside in the Kingdom and 32% traveled here for treatment.
 
The fact that Bumrungrad’s ICU team makes patient safety its top priority, working together as one to ensure patients emerge with the best outcome from their critical situation, means the ICU is held in high regard among patients and their relatives. Their lasting impressions and experiences have helped raise the profile of the Bumrungrad ICU domestically and internationally, a quality reflected in the fact that Bumrungrad’s ICU currently receives patients transferred from over 50 partner hospitals across Thailand, as well as from hospitals in other countries.

 

Core Areas of Treatment

The three most common disorders necessitating transfer to Bumrungrad International Hospital are, in order of prevalence:
 

1. Respiratory disorders
2. Cardiovascular disease
3. Central nervous system-related conditions

 
Each one of these conditions can be life-threatening unless timely treatment is provided. Therefore, in addition to being ready to receive patients 24 hours a day, our ICU department places great importance on always having a full team in place comprising highly trained professionals with extensive experience working as a cohesive multidisciplinary unit.
 
Patients are cared for by an ICU team consisting of the following members:
 

1. Doctors specializing in critical care who have all been successfully accredited by the American Board of Critical Care Medicine in the U.S. and are responsible – in conjunction with specialist doctors from various fields – for taking crucial decisions regarding the treatment that suits the individual needs of each patient.

 

2. Nurses specializing in critical care are responsible for round-the-clock monitoring of patients, while also being at the center of communication for all members of the ICU, as well as for professionals from other departments of the hospital.

 

3. ICU-based pharmacists offer detailed consultations on a range of drug-related issues, including medication selection, administration advice, dosage modification, liver and kidney function, as well as preventing and protecting against complications that may arise from the simultaneous use of multiple drugs sometimes necessary for ICU patients.

 

4. Nurses specializing in respiratory care provide supplementary care for all patients requiring breathing assistance from ICU ventilators. The work this team carries out takes some of the pressure off the doctors and nurses working in the ICU, enabling them to provide patient care with greater efficiency across other aspects of treatment.

 
In addition to those groups mentioned, the ICU staff also includes specialist physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, nutritionists and specialist nursing coordinators trained to provide care for a multitude of conditions, such as those that affect the brain, the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system. All of these medical experts work together as a cohesive unit to deliver quality medical care without compromising  patient safety.

 

Focused on Communication

Bumrungrad International Hospital understands that effective communication with a patient’s family members is crucial, especially at such times of great stress and strained emotions. While the ICU’s work can seem hectic and urgent, the Bumrungrad ICU has a team of doctors and nurses on hand to provide information that can bring some measure of relief from the stress experienced by the relatives of a patient under our care.
 
This information includes informing relatives of treatments taking place and keeping them updated on progress during consultations that take place each morning, or at whatever time is convenient for relatives to gather at the hospital. Our meeting room has been specially designed to provide an ideal location to hold these consultations in an environment that offers both privacy and comfort.
 
Working proactively and being prepared for all eventualities, as well as ensuring maximum effort and passion across the team, our work is guided by patient safety as its core value — a core value around which we continue to pursue medical excellence and provide each patient with international standards of quality care.
 
 
Compiled by the Intensive Care Unit, Bumrungrad International Hospital