Status of Neurocritical Care in Korea: A Nationwide Questionnaire Survey
Hong Ki Song, MD1, Byung In Lee, MD2, Jun Hong Lee, MD4, Kwang Soo Lee, MD3, and Sung-Hee Whang, MD1
1Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Seoul, Korea, 2Department of Neurology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea, 3Department of Neurology, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea, 4Department of Neurology, NHIC Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea
ABSTRACT
Background: Nation-wide status of neurocritical care and neurological intensive care unit (NICU) has not been studied yet in Korea. Purpose of study was to investigate the current status of neurocritical care in Korea. Methods: We conducted a nationwide questionnaire survey on the Neurology training hospital during the period of November 2012 and December 2012. Questionnaire includes basic information (bed, disease category of NICU, etc), status of faculty, and barriers to installing the independent NICU. Results: Fortyfour out of total 80 hospital replied this survey. Tertiary (=upper-grade) general hospital was 27, and general hospital was 17. In the distribution of disease categories in the Neurology-critical care unit (n=44), ischemic stroke is the most common, followed by hemorrhagic stroke (parenchymal and subarachnoid hemorrhage), seizure disorders, and central nervous system infection. There are 14 hospitals (out of 44) that administrate independent NICU. Among them, only 5 hospitals have NICU, independently managed by ‘Neurology’ or ‘Neurosurgery’. Only 8 hospitals had a dedicated faculty of specialists or residents for NICU. One specialized nurse covers 3 to 4 patients on duty. Of 30 hospitals without independent NICU, 5 hospitals have a plan of setting NICU in the near future, and other 4 hospitals replied that they thought the urgent need toward NICU. Conclusions: Urgent need toward ‘neurocritical care unit’ was not higher than expected. There would be an important role of Neurocrltical Care Society to emphasize a necessity and significance of neurocritcal care and NICU for improving morbidity and mortality problem. Also, there should be a proper solution against the problem of low medical fee and executive team’s awareness, which are significant barriers to setting NICU.
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