The ICU team decides on admission by asking one question: will intensive care genuinely help this patient recover? The views of the patient and family are taken into consideration, and treatments that will not help, or would only cause distress, are not used.
The length of stay varies greatly from patient to patient. Monitoring after an operation may need only a night or two; some illnesses need weeks or longer. Predicting the exact number of days is often difficult even for the ICU team, but we will keep you updated honestly at every stage.
Key points
- Admission is decided by whether intensive care can genuinely help
- The views of the patient and family are taken into account
- Some patients stay a day or two; others need weeks, both are normal
- Exact predictions are difficult, but we will update you at every stage
Good to know
A longer stay does not mean treatment is failing, some illnesses simply need more time to heal.
