Usage of Scoring Systems in Intensive Care Units

Calculation of organ failure related morbidity and prognostic mortality is highly vital at intensive care patients as their clinical situation can change suddenly, their life is sustained with outside devices and medicines, their life go on with high level treatment and care interventions. As the research regarding the utilized scoring systems in intensive care units were conducted mostly by physicians; at this context it is observed that studies about mortality, illness severity, morbidity and quality indicators are published. In studies conducted by nurses, nursing care need, cost and nurses’ workload were determined; these variables were correlated with patients’ characteristics and mortality. Intensive care nurses who care for critical patients being between life and death, and are expected to be equipped with the highest knowledge, attitude and skills, should benefit from scoring systems at clinical decision making process, patient triage, care planning, implementing and evaluating, determining the effectiveness of nursing care. Intensive care nurses’ awareness regarding scoring systems usage should be improved in our country. For patient classification, care management, effective resource usage, improvement of quality and patient outcomes, scoring systems should be placed more in intensive care units.