Intensive Care Unit Services Preparedness for the Pandemic: An Efficiency Analysis

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Health Services Research
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• Intensive Care Unit (ICU) service efficiency and critical care professional shortages pose challenges, particularly during pandemics.
• Effective ICU preparation is crucial for pandemic response strategies.
• Understanding pre-pandemic ICU service dynamics is essential for optimizing critical care delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficiency of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) services in Turkey prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To compare the efficiency of ICU services between teaching and non-teaching hospitals.
• To identify regional variations in ICU service efficiency across Turkish provinces.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the 2017 Public Hospital Statistical Year Book for analysis.
• Employed bootstrapped data envelopment analysis (DEA) to calculate precise ICU service efficiency scores.
• Conducted analyses at national, hospital (teaching vs. non-teaching), and provincial levels.

Main Results:

• Teaching hospitals (average efficiency 0.65) exhibited higher ICU service efficiency than non-teaching hospitals (average efficiency 0.54).
• Bootstrapping significantly improved efficiency scores, with statistically significant differences observed.
• Provinces in the southeast and highly populated areas like İstanbul showed high ICU service efficiency.

Conclusions:

• Evidence-based operational design and strategic workforce planning for critical care professionals are vital for efficient ICU management.
• Findings provide valuable insights for health policy makers to understand critical care dynamics.
• Optimizing resource allocation and professional deployment can enhance overall ICU service delivery.