A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY TO ASSESS THE DEMAND FOR A HIGH DEPENDENCY UNIT

We performed a prospective study in our teaching hospital to determine the demand for a High Dependency Unit where none had existed before. An admission criteria protocol was designed for medical and surgical p atients and this was used in an intense surveillance of 22 acute wards over 2 weeks. It was predicted that a high dependency unit of eight b eds would operate to capacity 50% of the time. An analysis of this typ e over a short period of time using similar admission criteria could b e used to assist in the prediction of the necessary size of a High Dep endency Unit facility in any hospital.