Studies have shown that critically ill patients whose care is managed by intensivists recover more quickly and achieve greater clinical outcomes overall. Intensivists have advanced training in critical care medicine and are at the hospital 24 hours a day, seven days a week. At Mather, intensivists care for patients in the Intensive Care Unit, Critical Care Unit, Step-Down Unit and Emergency Department.
Intensivists are the primary caregivers for the critically ill patients in the Hospital, coordinating round-the-clock care and monitoring and communicating with the patient’s primary care physician, other specialists and family members. Because of their unstable conditions, these patients must be monitored much more closely than patients in regular hospital patient care units.
Intensivists are part of a team of specialists who meet daily to review the status of every critically ill patient and their treatment plans for the day and immediate future. The team also includes the patient’s nurses, respiratory therapist, rehabilitation specialist, pharmacists and other specialists as needed.