Table 2.
Background, administrative structure, and policies of participating hospitals and ICUs.
| Characteristic |
Participating ICUs (n = 135) |
|---|---|
| Number of hospital beds (beds), n (%) | |
| x <200 | 21 (16%) |
| 200 ≤ x <400 | 19 (14%) |
| 400 ≤ x <600 | 27 (20%) |
| 600 ≤ x <800 | 26 (19%) |
| x ≥ 800 | 42 (31%) |
| Total number of ICU beds (beds), median [IRQ] | 14 [10–25] |
| ICU beds exclusively for patients with COVID-19 infection (beds), median [IRQ]a | 4 [2–10] |
| Number of participating ICUs where tele-medicine is available | 6 (4%) |
| Nurse-to-patient ratio, n (%): | |
| 1 | 41 (30%) |
| 2 | 72 (53%) |
| x ≥ 3 | 21 (16%) |
| Number of participating ICUs which belong to the following income level, n (%)b | |
| Low and lower middle-income countries | 30 (22%) |
| Upper middle-income countries | 26 (19%) |
| High income countries | 79 (59%) |
| The frequency of multidisciplinary rounds for patients WITH COVID-19 in the ICU, n (%) | |
| Not applicable | 35 (26%) |
| Daily | 78 (58%) |
| Other frequency (at least once a week or a month) | 22 (16%) |
| The frequency of multidisciplinary rounds for patients WITHOUT COVID-19 in the ICU, n (%) | |
| Not applicable | 14 (10%) |
| Daily | 91 (67%) |
| Other frequency (at least once a week or a month) | 28 (21%) |
| Number of visiting hours in the ICU for a family per day BEFORE the COVID-19 pandemic (hours), n (%) | |
| No visiting hours available | 9 (7%) |
| 0 < x <6 | 87 (64%) |
| 6 ≤ x ≤ 24 | 39 (29%) |
| Number of visiting hours to a patient WITHOUT COVID-19 infection per day in the ICU AFTER the COVID-19 pandemic (hours), n (%) | |
| No visiting hours available | 66 (49%) |
| 0 < x <6 | 64 (47%) |
| 6 ≤ x ≤ 24 | 5 (4%) |
| Number of visiting hours to a patient WITH COVID-19 infection per day in the ICU AFTER the COVID-19 pandemic (hours), n (%) | |
| No visiting hours available | 106 (79%) |
| 0 < x <6 | 26 (19%) |
| 6 ≤ x ≤ 24 | 3 (2%) |
| Presence of a specific written protocol for each element of the ABCDEF bundle, n (%) | |
| Element A: Pain management | 69 (51%) |
| Element B: Spontaneous Awakening Trial (SAT) management | 47 (35%) |
| Element B: Spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) management | 64 (47%) |
| Element C: Sedation management | 66 (49%) |
| Element D; Delirium management | 54 (40%) |
| Element E: Early mobility and exercise | 61 (45%) |
| Element F: Family engagement and empowerment | 13 (10%) |
| No written protocol associated with the ABCDEF bundle | 18 (13%) |
Data in table are presented as number (%) or median [Interquartile range]. ICU, intensive care unit; IQR, interquartile range.
a
Among 135 participating ICUs, 106 (79%) ICUs accommodated the ICU beds exclusively allocated for patients with COVID-19 infection.
b
The income level was classified according to the World Bank Country and Lending Group. Available online at: https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-groups (accessed 4 March in 2021).