High-dependency unit
A high dependency unit is an area in a hospital, usually located closely to the intensive care unit, where patients can be cared for more extensively than on a normal ward, but not to the point of intensive care. Many of these units were set up in the 1990s when hospitals found that a proportion of patients was requiring a level of care that could not be delivered in a normal ward setting.[1] This is thought to be associated with a reduction in mortality.[2] Patients may be admitted to an HDU bed because they are at risk of requiring intensive care admission, or as a step-down between intensive care and ward-based care.[1]
In 2000 the UK Department of Health issued the report "Comprehensive Critical Care", which set out the number of high dependency ("level 2") beds a hospital should have to deliver care appropriately.[3]
References
- ^ a b Griffiths MJ, Evans TW (2002). "The pulmonary physician in critical care: towards comprehensive critical care?". Thorax. 57 (1): 77–8. doi:10.1136/thorax.57.1.77. PMC 1746189. PMID 11809995.
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Griffithswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Day V, Adam S, Asbridge J; et al. (2000). Comprehensive critical care: review of adult critical care services (PDF). London: Department of Health.
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