ICU Readiness Assessment: We Are Not Prepared for COVID-19

SCCM COVID-19 Report. Nearly 5,000 U.S. intensive care unit (ICU) clinicians say that their ICUs are not prepared for the potential onslaught of COVID-19 patients.

According to the Society of Critical Care Medicine's (SCCM) ICU Readiness Assessment Report, their specific concerns range from shortages of supplies and staff, patient surge and overcrowding, and personal protective equipment.

Nearly all surveyed said that, while their hospitals had done some planning, they still had significant concerns about caring for COVID-19 patients – from lack of training and overcrowding to a shortage of staff and supplies – and two-thirds say their facilities are not well-prepared.

The web-based survey, conducted from March 18 to 25, 2020, was distributed to members of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), the American Thoracic Society (ATS), the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) and SCCM.

 Collectively these organizations make up the Critical Care Societies Collaborative and represent more than 150,000 critical care providers including physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists and other clinicians working in ICU settings.

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