by: anna junker
alberta hospitals do not have the resources to properly provide care to ever-growing numbers of icu patients in the fourth wave of the covid-19 pandemic, intensive care doctors say.
in an open letter signed by nearly 60 doctors from the alberta medical association section of intensive care, they state that as icu capacity grows, staffing ratios per patient fall below the normal standard of care.
“although diverting workers can provide some additional staffing, there are insufficient numbers of these specialized team members to care for the increasing numbers of icu patients” the letter states. “the demand for icu nurses is currently so high that we need to increase the number of patients assigned to each nurse.”
alberta’s icus are running at well over double our normal capacity, driven by a growing number of severely ill covid-19 patients.
“as intensive care physicians, it is our duty to ensure that we continue to help the critically ill at any time and any place within our province,” dr. clinton torok-both icu section president, said in a press release.
“unfortunately, our ability to equitably provide intensive care to all albertans remains under threat.”
this letter comes a day after
two senior doctors in alberta released a letter
to the new health minister calling for “fire break” measures to help the strain on hospitals.