Discrepancy between the Demand and Supply of Intensive Care Unit Beds in South Korea from 2011 to 2019: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Intensive care unit (ICU) bed availability is key to critical patient care. In many countries, older patients generally account for a significant proportion of hospitalizations and ICU admissions. Therefore, considering the rapidly increasing aging population in South Korea, it is important to establish whether the demand for critical care is currently met by available ICU beds.

Materials and methods

We evaluated a 9-year trend in ICU bed supply and ICU length of stay in South Korea between 2011 and 2019 in a population-based cross-sectional analysis, using data from the Korean Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service and Statistics database. We described the changes in ICU bed rates in adult (≥20 years) and older adult (≥65 years) populations. ICU length of stay

SUBMITTER: Cho NR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8612860 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature