What is a PCU in a hospital?

What is a PCU in a hospital?

There are a number of reasons you or a loved one may require a hospital stay in the progressive care unit. Knowing what to expect may make the experience a little less stressful. The progressive care unit (PCU) is considered a critical care unit, but it’s also a step down unit.

What is ICU and PCU?

The progressive care unit (PCU) was designed for patients whose care needs fall between what must be delivered in the ICU and what can be handled on most general medical floors.

How long do patients stay in PCU?

Median length of stay in the PCU was 3 days. In-hospital deaths occurred for 50% of admitted patients, while 38% of patients were discharged from the PCU to hospice.

What kind of patients are in PCU?

Our PCU staff members are specially trained to provide advanced care to patients suffering from a range of critical conditions, including:

• Heart attack, defibrillator or pacemaker implant or other cardiac condition.
• Stroke.
• Cancer or orthopaedic surgery.
• Severe pneumonia.
• Sepsis or other serious or systemic infection.

How is PCU different from ICU?

PCU stands for “progressive care unit.” Patients on PCU floors require more monitoring and assessment than patients on regular hospital floors, but their conditions are stable enough to avoid the ICU (intensive care unit). Patients may also be moved to the PCU from ICU as their condition stabilizes.

What is PCU?

A PCU is a Progressive Care Unit. PCUs, sometimes referred to as intermediate care or step-down units, provide an intermediate level of patient care that bridges the gap between intensive care units and medical-surgical units.

Is PCU the same as step-down?

The PCU/Intermediate Care Unit RN is sometimes also called a step-down nurse and the PCU is also known as cardiac step-down, medical step-down, neuro step-down, surgical step-down and ER holding. Provide emotional support to acutely ill patients and their families.

Is PCU the same as Med Surg?

The patient’s length of stay tends to be longer in the PCU. The patient-to-nurse ratio is smaller than med-surg nursing. I’d typically have about 3-4 patients in the PCU. That may not sound like many, but again, these patients require an extensive amount of monitoring and complex nursing care.

Is PCU the same as step down?

What are step down units?

In hospitals, Step Down Units (SDUs) provide an intermediate level of care between the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and the general medical-surgical wards. On the other hand, an SDU can take capacity away from the already over-congested ICU.

What happens in a progressive care unit?

The Progressive Care Unit or PCU is a telemetry (vital signs) monitored unit that provides care for adult patients requiring continuous cardiac monitoring. Patients arrive from the Emergency Department, Cath Lab, Operating Room or are transferred from ICU or Medical Surgical Units.

What do PCU nurses do?

Progressive care nursing jobs involve care for patients requiring close monitoring and frequent assessment, but who aren’t unstable enough to need ICU care. PCU nurses monitor cardiac and other critical vital signs and detect any changes, thereby enabling intervention of life-threatening or emergency situations.