MEET THE SPECIALISTS
Like heroes of the hospital, each member has mastered a particular superpower
Nurses
When doctors have prescribed the relevant drugs and fluids, nurses are needed to make sure the recommended levels are given and that they are done so correctly. Taking care of a couple of patients at a time, they know how best to care for those in a critical condition and can create a relationship of trust with their patients, putting them at ease through some of the scariest times.
Doctors
The team of doctors in an intensive care unit cover all areas of expertise. This team is led by an ICU consultant who is responsible for overseeing the progress of patients every day and advising the next steps in treatment.
Pharmacists
Seeing patients alongside doctors and nurses, pharmacists can give additional advice on medications. As experts in how medicines should be supplied and applied, they can make sure medication is taken appropriately and intercept any errors before they show negative effects.
Physiotherapists
Lying horizontally, unable to move for a prolonged period of time and with a body in its weakest condition, patients can lose immense strength and mobility. These specialists stop joints from becoming stiff and help to exercise patients’ muscles, but this is not the extent of the help. With many suffering from breathing difficulties, they assist patients with their breathing by strengthening their chest and lungs.
Occupational therapists
There is more to intensive care than simply staying alive. The ward is a patient’s home for a select period of time, and where possible they often want to gain back small levels of independence. Occupational therapists provide the best solutions to ensure that while they are being treated a patient’s daily activities can be carried out to the best of their ability, optimising their mental health as well as physical.
In one of the most unnerving sections of a hospital, it is common for visitors and patients to be filled with worry and uncertainty. However, the professionals need to work with quite the opposite emotions, informing those they are caring for, acting decisively and using their expert skills to improve their patients’ wellbeing. Each member of the diverse team carries a specialised essential role, but their main objectives are consistent: for patients and loved ones to leave the hospital healthier, happier and, most importantly, alive.
Speech and language therapists
Speech therapists can improve patients’ abilities to speak and swallow during their time in the ward, and in cases where the individual has suffered a brain injury can help improve their affected speech for the future. When tracheostomies are required, which involves making a hole in the patient’s throat to insert a breathing apparatus, speech therapists can be of invaluable assistance, ensuring that there will be no unnecessary impact to speech and swallowing as a result.
Social workers
The outcome of each medical case often lacks certainty. During their time inside the ward, families and loved ones sometimes need as much support as those on the beds, just in a different way. Social workers provide emotional support to families and visitors at most hospitals, helping them to understand the situation through counselling or helping with financial issues.
Dietitians
Incorporating the right foods into your diet is important for even the healthiest individual, but when teetering on the edge of life and death, the body relies on the best nutrition to support recovery. Dietitians monitor food intake and individual responses to ensure patients are being fed the correct volumes and consistencies with the best nutritional value. Choosing the best nourishment is a big responsibility at a time when sick patients have no control over what is put in their bodies.