Nursing Toolkit for Intensive Care Surge Events
This toolkit provides a suite of practical resources designed to support the nursing workforce during Intensive Care Unit (ICU) surge events. Surge events may occur suddenly, such as during a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) requiring the rapid admission of critically ill patients, or develop over a prolonged period, requiring expansion of ICU capacity and deployment of additional nursing staff, as seen during pandemics and other large-scale health emergencies.
The toolkit was developed as an outcome of mixed methods doctoral research exploring nursing workforce preparedness during ICU surge events. Drawing on the experiences of clinicians involved in previous surges, as well as the research literature, it translates key lessons into practical, evidence-based resources that can be implemented rapidly in the ICU.
The Toolkit can be downloaded from this action button which will take you to the UTS Figshare site
Resources in the toolkit
Rapid Surge
Education Resources
Prolonged Surge
Tools and checklists designed to support the immediate response to sudden surge events, such as an MCI. These resources can be used in their current form or adapted to reflect local staffing profiles, bed capacity and operational requirements. The intention is that these tools are readily available within the ICU and can be activated as soo
Tools and checklists designed to support the immediate response to sudden surge events, such as an MCI. These resources can be used in their current form or adapted to reflect local staffing profiles, bed capacity and operational requirements. The intention is that these tools are readily available within the ICU and can be activated as soon as a surge event is declared. They may also be incorporated into preparedness activities, including simulation training, to familiarise staff with surge processes before an event
occurs.
Prolonged Surge
Education Resources
Prolonged Surge
These tools support the workforce with prolonged surge events that require expansion of ICU capacity and the deployment of nurses from outside the ICU. These resources include evidence-based scope of practice tools, proficiency checklists and skills inventories designed to support the safe integration of deployed nurses within team nursin
These tools support the workforce with prolonged surge events that require expansion of ICU capacity and the deployment of nurses from outside the ICU. These resources include evidence-based scope of practice tools, proficiency checklists and skills inventories designed to support the safe integration of deployed nurses within team nursing models. The aim of these resources is to assist ICU teams in supporting the delivery of safe patient care during extended periods of increased demand.
Education Resources
Education Resources
Education Resources
These resources assist the ICU education team to support workforce preparedness, including examples of how the rapid surge tools can be incorporated into simulation activities, as well as structured lesson plans and educational resources to support the upskilling of deployed nurses.