The Effects of Communications & Teamwork on the Acceptance and Perceived Use of eICU Technology

An eICU is an electronic intensive care unit (ICU). An eICU team consists of an intensive care attending physician in collaboration with advanced practice providers and ICU nurses using remotely based telemedicine to support the healthcare team at the bedside. The eICU team functions as a sophisticated patient monitoring system and uses computerized data analysis to assist in the early identification of patient complications and to communicate these issues to the bedside healthcare team, where early interventions can be employed. The purpose of this project was to conduct a systematic review to examine whether communication and teamwork have any effect on the acceptance and perceived use of eICU technology. The articles reviewed for this study demonstrate the importance of teamwork and communication in successful implementation of an eICU. eICUs are a considerable financial investment. These papers also demonstrated that equally important to investment in technology is investment in the development of staff in the areas of teamwork and communication necessary to foster successful uptake of eICU technology.