Critical Care Program

Research

The Program actively supports research activities in all disciplines. The Program is committed to cooperation with clinical investigators and research personnel to encourage sound scientific and ethical clinical research. Clinical trials are actively supported at the tertiary sites.

Research in the ICU is supported by the Critical Care Information Management Database and Critical Care data collection nurses located in each of the ICU's.

Critical Care Information Management Database

Is an information system that documents the types of patients that use Critical Care beds in the City of Winnipeg. The Database program has been in existence in Critical Care at the Health Sciences Centre since July 1988. It expanded regionally to other Intensive Care Units in the city in 1998-99.

The database provides information on basic patient demographics (age, gender, etc.), patient acuity (APACHEII scoring), Length-Of-Stay, transfer delays, readmission rates, primary diagnosis, complications and underlying pre-existing disease conditions. The program monitors the frequency of laboratory testing, tracks utilization of certain drugs. It also assesses and measures nursing workload (TISS).

The purpose of the information system is to provide Managers, Directors and Researchers with a tool to objectively monitor and evaluate patterns of resource utilization. It also allows them, along with their staff, to make informed decisions with regard to standardization and improvement of the quality of care for patients using hospital beds in the City of Winnipeg.