Why is ICU so expensive
Why is ICU so expensive, just because it's full of critically ill patients? The ICU is expensive for a reason.
● Hardware expensive: ICU costs are expensive, hardware facilities is one of the reasons, in the ICU, each bed will be equipped with an exclusive ventilator, infusion pumps, defibrillators, cardiac monitors and other conventional hardware. In addition to this, since most of the patients living in ICU are required to be absolutely bedridden, ICU also has a lot of bedside examination equipment. And, because ICU patients are in serious condition, often because of the use of high-grade equipment for resuscitation, so ICU also has a lot of mobile bedside examination equipment, such as bedside X-ray machine.
● Human resources are expensive: patients living in ICU need to check the changes in their conditions in real time, to double-check and record a variety of parameters, a doctor can only manage 3~4 patients, a nurse can manage up to 2~3 people[2], which is two and a half times that of the general ward. In addition, ICU doctors observe patients' conditions more frequently than doctors in other departments, and often unstable conditions require resuscitation, so ICU will use more manpower, which will be more expensive.
● Treatment is expensive: patients in the ICU, in addition to conventional treatment, there are many other treatments. Patients admitted to the ICU are high-risk patients with more expensive medications, and these types of treatments are often a significant cost. The scariest thing is that these costs, are not reimbursed by health insurance.
● Drugs are expensive: ICU requires not only a lot of drugs, but also expensive, because the general drugs on the ICU patients can not be effective, can only use a higher level of drugs, but this part of the drug is often not fully reimbursed by the medical insurance, and even a lot of drugs are not in the reimbursement of the medical insurance.
● Check more: Because ICU patients need to be monitored in real time for changes in their condition, which is difficult to determine with the naked eye alone, they can only be examined with the help of specialized instruments to determine their condition, and at the same time, the doctor will also check the patient's indicators, such as biochemical indicators, to prescribe the next step in the treatment.
According to statistics, the average daily cost of ICU is about 3,000 to 20,000 yuan per day, so ICU beds are called the most expensive beds, not without reason. But the question arises, is it as long as the money can be admitted to the ICU?
Second, only money can live in the ICU?
ICU is expensive, but it has its own admission criteria, they are admitted to the population of the main 2 kinds of patients, for the terminally ill patients, the ICU is not admitted. There are 2 main groups of people they admit: patients with acute reversible diseases and non-critical high-risk patients.
First of all, regarding the admission of the two groups of people, severe trauma, acute respiratory failure and other diseases belong to the acute reversible diseases [3], this kind of patients need ICU to strengthen the medical treatment as well as the need to closely monitor the changes in the condition, otherwise there will be a very high mortality rate, so in order to reduce the mortality rate of this kind of patients, need to be admitted to ICU. at the same time, in order to prevent the emergence of serious complications, or once complications, can be more effective and efficient, so that patients can receive the best possible treatment. complications, they can be treated in a more timely manner.
Non-critical high-risk patients also need to be arranged in the ICU, here you may ask, ICU are not all critical patients? How did it become non-critical high-risk patients. Here to give you an example, such as after major surgery, deep vein thrombolysis, cerebral infarction after thrombolysis, these patients are often not out of danger, but is a patient can be saved, so in order to the condition of the required to be arranged into the ICU, and is not there is no money to decide.
Simply put, not all money can be admitted to the ICU, for example, terminal patients, even if the condition is serious, but does not meet the admission criteria of the ICU, but also can not be arranged to the ICU treatment, only those who need the ICU to closely monitor and strengthen the rescue treatment at the same time can reduce the risk of death or get rehabilitation of the patient, can be admitted to the ICU.
However, we know that the majority of patients admitted to the ICU belong to the ICU, but they can not be saved, so in order to the condition required to be arranged in the ICU, not whether there is any money to decide. However, we all know that most of the patients admitted to the ICU are in critical condition and have a high risk of death. Moreover, even with the best medicines and equipment, there is no guarantee that every patient will be cured, which means that the high cost of the ICU is worth it in the end.
Three, into the ICU is worth it, in the end will really be empty?
Relative to the general ward, ICU mortality rate is indeed higher, but it is by no means what we think, into the ICU, will not come out. In the case of severe pneumonia, for example, the probability of successful treatment is only 50-70%, the condition of severe pneumonia in the event of complications, the death rate will be even better, and if in the general ward, do not get timely monitoring of the condition, patients with severe pneumonia will often die of complications.
However, in the ICU, the cost is indeed much higher than in the general ward, but whether it is from the monitoring of the condition, or the treatment means, or the instrumentation that can be used, it is better than the general ward, at least to be able to find out the patient's condition changes in the shortest possible time, and to start the treatment in time, which greatly reduces the rate of death.
So, into the ICU will not be people and money in fact is not absolute, because the treatment of any disease is unable to guarantee absolute success, after all, whether the success of the rescue is related to many factors, including the patient's own physical quality, but no matter what, the ICU medical staff, will do their best to save every ICU patients.
In addition, the ICU has a special place, that is, not like the ordinary departments like, casually in and out, and this is why?
Four, why the intensive care unit can not just enter?
When a family member is sick, we will be anxious, not to mention the family members who are admitted to the ICU, but why can't we just enter the ICU?
There are three reasons.
First, because in the ICU, medical staff need to carry out resuscitation work on the patient at any time, and if the patient's family members are in the ICU, it will interfere with the resuscitation work. So family members can't just go into the ICU.
Secondly, in order to prevent the family from accidentally pressing the instrument, ICU is equipped with a lot of instruments next to each bed, if the patient's family members in curiosity or careless, accidentally pressed the instrument, not only will affect the normal work of the instrument, and in serious cases, it will also affect the patient's condition.
Another point is also important to prevent the spread of infection: most of the patients in the ICU have weak resistance and are often infected with some kind of drug-resistant bacteria, so if their family members move around or even communicate with each other, they are very likely to become infected with the spread of infection.
ICU, the sound of cold liquid dripping into the patient's blood vessels, accompanied by the sound of different instruments, intertwined together, has become the hope of countless families, where everyone returns to the simplest survival needs, that is - to live.