Mastering Intensive Care

In this episode Assoc Prof Craig French from Western Health (where he is Director of Intensive Care) and Melbourne University in Melbourne, Australia reflects thoughtfully about many aspects of clinical care including how inspiring a healthy workplace culture can lead to staff enjoyment as well as improved patient outcomes. Craig discusses topics such as: how in intensive care we have become more focused on less is best and that this may lead to clinicians becoming deskilled, how good communication and listening requires not being afraid of silence, the benefits of doing a pre-ward round ward round for planning the flow of the day, how more frequent handovers can be an issue, that we are probably moving towards 24 hourly hospital-located intensivists (which may help work-life balance), engaging well with nursing staff is vital including providing them with clear aims, simple observation of patients and their surroundings can provide an enormous amount of information, ward rounds can’t go too long and they nee