Intensivvakt

Intensivvakt is the on-call coverage for an intensive care unit (ICU), where a physician with relevant critical-care expertise is available outside regular daytime hours to manage or oversee critically ill patients. The arrangement aims to provide 24/7 access to specialist critical care, ensuring timely assessment, stabilization, and decision-making for ICU admissions, escalations, and transfers.

During intensivvakt, the on-call clinician may assess new ICU patients, perform resuscitation and stabilization, supervise ventilated and severely ill patients, review and adjust treatment plans, and coordinate with other departments such as emergency, surgery, and anesthesia. They also oversee care progression, guide diagnostic testing, participate in goals-of-care discussions, and determine when a patient should remain in the ICU, be transferred, or receive end-of-life care.

Staffing and scheduling typically involve rotating shifts among intensivists, fellows, or experienced residents. The exact structure, duration of shifts, and compensation vary by country, hospital policy, and staffing levels. Training requirements generally include board certification or substantial experience in critical care medicine; in some systems, physicians from anesthesiology, internal medicine, or surgery participate in intensivvakt under supervision.

Legal and operational aspects emphasize patient safety, proper documentation, and effective handovers to daytime teams. Challenges associated with intensivvakt include high workload, risk of fatigue, and staffing shortages, prompting guidelines and wellness initiatives to support sustainable critical-care coverage.