A closed intensive care unit model, in which a patient is evaluated and admitted under an intensivist and patient care orders are written by ICU staff, can help reduce rates of several healthcare-associated infections (HAI), according to new research. The research was presented May 22 at the ATS International Conference 2019 in Dallas.

Researchers examined infection rate at a community medical center’s ICU that transitioned from an open to a closed model in June 2016. In an open ICU model, the patient is evaluated and admitted under a primary care physician with an intensivist following the patient as a consultant and orders are written by consultants directly.

The research team gathered infection rates for the July 2014 to June 2016 period, when the ICU was under the open model, and compared it to rates for the July 2016 to June 2018 period, when the ICU was under the closed model.

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