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For Patients

Patients of the ICU

What to expect - Frequently asked questions

1. What does the ICU look and sound like?

What sets an intensive care unit apart from 'ordinary' hospital wards is the access to round-the-clock nursing and medical expertise, intensive monitoring of patients and sophisticated equipment to support body systems that are not working well or have already failed. Unfortunately, this makes the ICU a busy and noisy place, which can be daunting to those who have never experienced intensive care before.

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2. What will the patient look like?

In addition to the noise and bustle, you will find that most patients are connected by many tubes and cables to various machines. Each patient, however, usually looks peacefully asleep. This is because we can slowly and continuously infuse drugs into the patient to induce sleep (sedatives) and other ones to relieve any pain (analgesics).

You might not initially recognise the patient, partly because of the unusual circumstances of being in hospital, but also because critically ill patients can look slightly swollen, in addition to any injuries or problems they had before the came into the ICU. This swelling is to be expected, and resolves completely as they get better.

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3. Why is the ICU so noisy?

Almost all of the pumps and machines in the ICU have alarms, and you are almost certain to hear at least one go off during your visit. When an alarm goes off, it does not mean that the machine has stopped working, it simply tells the nurse that something needs attention or something about the patient has changed slightly. Very few of the alarms require immediate action from the nurse, usually the nurse will just silence the alarm and continue with the task at hand. If you are concerned or interested, please ask the nurse about the alarms.

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4. When are patients discharged from intensive care?

The majority of patients who are admitted to the John Farman ICU are discharged as soon as their condition improves sufficiently to other wards in the hospital. This is important for the patient.

Being on ICU is not the best environment for a conscious patient who no longer needs the critical care monitoring. It is noisy all day and night, and can be alarming for a disorientated patient who needs a more 'normal' environment in which to recover. For some, this might take only one or two days…for others this can take weeks.

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5. How long will it take to recover on the ward?

Once on the ward, the recovery process continues. How long this takes depends on the patient and their disease condition. The longer someone has been in intensive care, the longer it will take them to recover. In general, this process will occur more slowly in the elderly.

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6. I am more worried now the patient is on the ward. What can I do?

When the patient is on the ward, it can be a frightening time for both patients and visitors. The John Farman ICU will have become familiar, and the staff are friendly, approachable and always on hand to answer your questions and to care for the patient. The staff on the main hospital wards are just as friendly and approachable, but there are fewer of them for each patient, and they will have less time to look after you as a 'visitor'.