An ICU patient’s day is shaped by the work of the different members of the medical and nursing team, who are present 24 hours a day.
Each morning, doctors examine every patient to establish or refine the diagnosis and assess the effects of treatment. This examination may be repeated several times during the day, sometimes alongside additional tests such as X-rays, blood tests or ultrasound scans, depending on the patient’s progress, the severity of their illness and any changes identified by the nurse caring for them. This stage is important in determining the treatments the patient needs. Prescriptions are updated throughout the day and adapted to the patient’s condition and vital signs (pulse, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, etc.). All these parameters are recorded by a continuous monitoring system and observed by the healthcare team.
A typical day generally begins early in the morning with blood samples, so that urgent results are available as soon as possible and the day’s treatment goals can be determined.
Nurses carry out monitoring and medication rounds at regular intervals, usually about every three to four hours, depending on how the unit is organised.Information is handed over whenever the team changes. Early morning is a particularly busy period for care, including washing patients and the first rounds by residents, clinical fellows and physiotherapists.
During the morning, the team usually holds a meeting, referred to as the “ward round” or “staff meeting”, depending on the unit. It may take place in patients’ rooms, in a dedicated meeting room or within the unit. This is when the team discusses and sets each patient’s treatment goals and priorities for the day. You may be asked not to interrupt this important meeting so that it can be conducted as effectively as possible.
The afternoon is often devoted to scheduled tests, physiotherapy sessions and meetings to discuss patients’ cases with other specialists or within the team. In the late afternoon, a second medical round is used to reassess patients’ conditions, followed by a handover between doctors before the night shift.
Some tests may need to be performed outside the unit, such as a CT or MRI scan. In this case, members of the team accompany the patient to the department where the test is carried out and ensure their monitoring and safety. These transfers only take place when they are necessary and the patient’s condition is sufficiently stable. They are therefore often decided and organised at short notice, depending on the patient’s clinical condition and the availability of the examination room. This is why a transfer may take place without you being informed beforehand, or at a time when you had planned to visit.
The medical team may also call on other specialists. In some cases, they may come to the patient’s bedside or review imaging remotely. There is therefore ongoing communication with the patient’s usual doctors, specialists and referring physicians.
At the end of the day and whenever the team changes, the day doctors and nurses share all relevant information with the night team, review each patient’s history and hand over the day’s events and the goals to be pursued. The on-call doctors check that prescribed treatments are having the expected effect, examine patients when necessary and adjust treatments as required. Monitoring by the nursing team continues at the same pace during the night, while staff try whenever possible to create a quieter atmosphere to protect patients’ circadian rhythm (day–night cycle).