ABSTRACT
Many of the patients have complex co-morbidities and pathology, and a systematic method of assessing them allows problems to be broken down and a management plan to be instituted. The daily review is the backbone of care for the critically ill patient and will be the bulk of the workload. It may appear to be prolonged initially but after practice should become second nature. This allows one to recognise and manage critically ill patients in other environments. The daily systematic review is vital for the continued management of the intensive care unit (ICU) patient. The chapter shows that repeated practice should make it easier and give one a framework to assess all critically ill patients. It identifies ongoing issues and whether they are improving or worsening. The chapter also identifies new issues over the last 24 hours, and what has been done to remedy them.
