The Evaluation of Intensive Care Units Quality in Turkey: a Multicenter Study

INTRODUCTION: The intensive care beds are limited in number and costly. The problem might be solved by using these beds more efficiently. We were the first in conducting intensive care-related quality research in our country.
METHODS: Our study was a survey study. We screened a total of 134 tertiary level intensive care units.
RESULTS: Specialists working in intensive care units of 134 hospitals, of which 54 were university hospitals, were interviewed. The ratio of hospitals without any negative-pressure chamber was 55.6%. No medical technical manager was present in intensive care units. No physical therapy coordinator was determined to be present in intensive care units, presenting only when a consultation was requested. No joint meeting with a multi-professional team was being held. We also determined that no joint meeting was being held with the infection control committee regarding handwashing either. Additionally, we discovered that the growing microorganisms and their antibiotic sensitivities were not being evaluated together with the infection control committee.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: We determined that inadequacies were present regarding the infrastructure, procedures, and outcomes related to quality assessment in Turkey, which is a developing country.