Design of the intensive care unit from a monitoring point of view

In the initial stage of the planning of an intensive care unit, the problems and goals should be identified, solutions to problems developed, and one solution or overall plan selected. At this point, input from all personnel who work in or contribute to care or services in the ICU should be sought and carefully considered. Once this has been done, decisions on specific design features can be made. The overall function of the unit should be kept in mind, and all design decisions should facilitate observation of the patients, surveillance of physiological monitoring, delivery of routine and emergency interventions, and recording of patient care information.