HWN Suggests

The Future of Critical Care: The Human Capital

Sometimes, we lose sight of the human being behind the machines, paraphernalia and clinical syndromes. Dehumanisation tends to creep in, and can occur in many forms, including the loss of personal identity, control and privacy, all of which are significant stressors for the patient. To counter this, ’Humanising the ICU’ is a relatively recent cultural swing in critical care based on a range of patient-focused behaviours and environment-related measures. Simple measures to promote understanding of the patient as an individual and provide reminders to facilitate interaction e.g. appropriate use of glasses, hearing aids or communication aids are important. Helping the patient participate in basic…

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 Critical care medicine in 2050: less invasive, more connected, and personalized

Critical care medicine as a specialty in its own right has therefore existed for less than 40 years, but the changes that this field has witnessed over that time span have been enormous as our understanding of pathophysiological processes [e.g., of sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), circulatory shock] has improved, technology has enabled equipment to become smaller and more user-friendly, and changes in societal norms have encouraged a more human approach to hospital treatment (1). Given the rapid changes in this field so far, it is likely that critical care medicine in 2050 will again bear little resemblance to the situation today. Here we will speculate, in general terms, on how we see the specialty and the ICU moving forwards over the next 30 years or so.

Articles of Interest

21st century critical care medicine: An overview

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A Vision for Critical Care: The ITU of the Future

We need to enable better decision making, and that sense of detection, and that’s where AI comes in. I think we’ve been taken on a journey now in terms of technology with COVID that we can no longer afford to be as wary as we used to be about AI. We need to embrace that.

Doctors Feel What It’s Like to Be in the ICU

Immersive art project lets Mount Sinai staff hear noises and feel confined like intensive-care brain trauma patients; a new view of treating unconscious patients.

Our favorite unproven ideas for future critical care

The future of critical care medicine will be shaped not only by the evidence-validated foundations of science, but also by innovations based on unproven and, in many cases, untested concepts and thoughtful visions of scientists and clinicians familiar with the complex problems actually faced in clinical practice.

The future of artificial intelligence in intensive care: moving from predictive to actionable AI

Actionable AI models have the potential to guide ICU physicians in treatment choices, although challenges remain before these can safely be implemented.

The future of critical care: lessons from the COVID-19 crisis

The COVID-19 crisis has served as a stark reminder of the need for planning and preparedness to allow critical care resources to be mobilised and to enable rapid testing of diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic approaches to tackle new disease outbreaks.

The Future of Critical Care: Optimizing Technologies and a Learning Healthcare System to Potentiate a More Humanistic Approach to Critical Care

While technological innovations are the invariable crux of speculation about the future of critical care, they cannot replace the clinician at the bedside.

Who Are We Caring for in the I.C.U.?

Not infrequently a family will demand that doctors perform chest compressions and shocks if someone’s heart stops, even though we are nearly certain it won’t help. I used to find myself infuriated by these conversations. On occasion I have used hospital policy to take the decision away from the family altogether. But maybe that is not the only response.