Objective: To assess and to follow along the time-span of ICU stay the process of resources allocation and utilization.
Design: Prospective study.
Patients: A cohort of 778 patients consecutively admitted to 7 multipurpose general ICU in the Milano area were enrolled in a survey of the daily performed interventions/procedures.
Measurements and main results: The majority of diagnostic procedure/interventions were performed during the first two days. The number and quality of interventions were transferred into points obtaining a score system in non-monetary units. The resource allocation process shows a regular trend in the sub-intensive patients who were only monitorized. On the contrary the 258 patients who were intensively treated and survived show a phase of high resource-consumption (about 30 daily points: roughly twice the score of monitorized patients) then followed by a post-intensive phase with a resource consumption resulting in a daily score absolutely equal to the sub-intensive patients. The intensive patients who die show a significantly higher score than survived patients. Both daily and cumulative scores do not show differences among different type of patients.
Conclusion: The evaluation of the process of resources allocation, even if in non-monetary units enables the knowledge of the trend of ICU costs and allows the elaboration of the appropriate budget mechanism.