Intensive Care in Critical Access Hospitals

Abstract

Intensive care services provided by CAHs fall along a continuum, ranging from care in a unit that resembles a scaled-down version of ICUs in larger hospitals to care in closely monitored medical-surgical beds. Nurse to patient ratio, not technology, is arguably the defining characteristic of intensive care in CAHs. Respondents believe these services to be important to the well-being of the hospital and of the community.