Intensive care unit closed at Prince County Hospital
CBC
A shortage of internal medicine specialists has led to the closure of the intensive care unit at the Prince County Hospital in Summerside, P.E.I.
In an emailed statement to CBC News, Health P.E.I. said the ICU has been transitioned into a progressive care unit. An ICU requires the presence of internal medicine staff around the clock, the email said, but a PCU can be operated by family physicians, hospitalists and nursing staff.
Patients who require intensive care will be stabilized and transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown.
"Our health-care system is responding to the greatest staffing challenges we have seen as a province," said Health P.E.I. CEO Dr. Michael Gardam.
"While our intention is to increase services available at PCH over the long term, we need to make these changes now to maintain safe care for Islanders in the face of shortages in physicians, nurses and many other health-care professions."
Progressive care has been what has been required for the vast majority of patients who historically received critical care services at PCH, according to Health P.E.I. There will be eight beds in the PCU, two more than there had been in the ICU.
The new setup will be evaluated in the weeks and months ahead, including whether it is necessary to increase capacity at Charlottetown's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
The change does not affect the emergency department at Prince County Hospital.
The closure of the ICU is not something anyone wanted, said Gardam, but the health-care system needs to adapt to provide the best possible care in the short term, while not burning out staff.