A Beginner's Guide to Intensive Care Medicine

A practical guide to the basics of Intensive Care Units (ICUs), patient management and emergencies for junior doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.

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Recent changes to doctor training have increasingly led to foundation year doctors being rotated to Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Many doctors - along with nurses and allied health professionals new to intensive care - find that the standard texts on this challenging clinical environment are too comprehensive to provide an introduction or day-to-day reference. This simple bedside handbook fills that gap, providing a pragmatic guide to the basics of ICUs, patient management and emergencies. It also addresses recent and future developments in a variety of areas including organ donation, the Mental Capacity Act and management of the acutely ill patient. The book is divided into short, easy-to-read topics, which have clearly outlined learning goals and emphasise the continuities between intensive care medicine and other forms of care. Foundation, Acute Common Stem and Anaesthesia junior doctors facing their initial attachment in Intensive Care will find this essential reading. Nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and allied health professionals working in ICUs will also find it an invaluable guide. 'An accessible, concise and practical guide to the first weeks in ICM that trainees will not only learn from, but will enjoy reading: I am sure that more than a few trainers will find it useful too!' - From the Foreword by Jonathan Goodall