evidence suggests that in the presence of available ICU beds physicians tend to admit lower-risk patients to the ICU and use the ICU more for care at the end of life (4–6). These findings suggest that overuse of ICU beds may be mediated, at least in part, by excess supply. Yet the number of ICU beds in the United States continues to increase, from 69,300 in 1985 to 93,955 in 2005 (2, 7).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4351597/
evidence suggests that in the presence of available ICU beds physicians tend to admit lower-risk patients to the ICU and use the ICU more for care at the end of life (4–6). These findings suggest that overuse of ICU beds may be mediated, at least in part, by excess supply. Yet the number of ICU beds in the United States continues to increase, from 69,300 in 1985 to 93,955 in 2005 (2, 7).