Full-Time ICU Staff in the Intensive Care Unit: Does It Improve the Outcome?

Patients with various severities are cared for in the intensive care unit (ICU) by an experienced ICU physician. We aimed to assess whether there is any difference in intubated ICU patient management when undertaken by a 24-hour intensivist versus a periodic experienced specialist in the ICU. A retrospective, cross-sectional, observational study was done in a tertiary teaching hospital ICU. Patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) were classified into: group 1, managed by an experienced ICU pulmonary specialist during night shifts in 2006-2007, and group 2, managed by an intensivist around the clock in 2011. Patients were excluded if they were