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Multicenter Study
. 2022 Apr;16(2):612-618.
doi: 10.1017/dmp.2020.375. Epub 2020 Oct 12.

All for One and One for All: Voluntary Physicians in the Intensive Medicine Units During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Spain

Teresa Nunez-Villaveiran  1 , Alejandro González-Castro  2 , Emilio Nevado-Losada  3 , Abelardo García-de-Lorenzo  4 , Pau Garro  5
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

All for One and One for All: Voluntary Physicians in the Intensive Medicine Units During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Spain

Teresa Nunez-Villaveiran et al. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2022 Apr.

Abstract

Objectives: Our purpose was to determine the intensive care units' (ICU's) medical staff surge capacity during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Spring 2020 in Spain.

Methods: A multicenter retrospective survey was performed addressing the medical specialties present in the ICUs and the increase in bed capacity during this period.

Results: Sixty-seven centers (62.04%) answered the questionnaire. The ICU bed capacity during the pandemic outbreak increased by 160% (95% confidence interval [CI], 128.97-191.03%). The average number of beds per intensive care medicine (ICM) specialist was 1.5 ± 0.60 and 3.71 ± 2.44 beds/specialist before and during the COVID-19 outbreak, respectively. Non-ICM specialists and residents were present in 50 (74.63%) and 23 (34.3%) ICUs during the outbreak, respectively. The number of physicians (ICM and non-ICM residents and specialists) in the ICU increased by 89.40% (95% CI, 64.26114.53%). The increase in ICM specialists was, however, 4.94% (95% CI, -1.35-11.23%). Most non-ICM physicians were anesthetists, followed by pediatricians and cardiologists.

Conclusions: The majority of ICUs in our study were able to rapidly expand critical care capacity by adapting areas outside of the normal ICU to manage critically ill patients, and by extending the critical care staff with noncritical care physicians working as force multipliers.

Keywords: COVID-19; disaster medicine; hospital organization; intensive care medicine; mass critical care; surge capacity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no financial or personal relationships with other people or organizations that could influence (bias) this work inappropriately. The authors have no financial interest in any of the drugs or devices mentioned in this work.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Percentage Increase in Number of Beds and Number of Physicians (ICM and non-ICM Residents and Physicians) in the ICU During the COVID-19 Outbreak.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Nonintensivist Physician Specialists in the ICU During the COVID-19 Outbreak.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Nonintensivist Physician Residents in the ICU During the COVID-19 Outbreak.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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