Intensive Care Unit

When a loved one is in need of critical care services, you want to know they are in the best possible hands. The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at St. Joseph's Hospital-North is a multidisciplinary service, where specialists, nurses and support staff meet on a daily basis to review each patient's needs and treatment plan.

We typically treat patients in the ICU for respiratory distress, pneumonia, and sepsis. We also monitor post-surgical cases if necessary.

Flexible Visitation
We know that family and loved ones are so important during this time. That is why we have a flexible visitation policy for patients in the ICU at St. Joseph's Hospital-North. Families and friends are encouraged to visit and stay whenever they would like. Each ICU room is equipped with a couch that transforms to a bed, so loved ones can stay overnight.

Multidisciplinary Critical Care
Critically ill patients require the care and treatment of many different healthcare professionals. Families of loved ones who are in the ICU may also need special help and support. At St. Joseph's Hospital-North, our ICU staff includes the following medical professionals:

• Critical care medicine specialists
• Critical care nurses
• Cardiologists
• Pulmonologists
• Case management (social workers)
• Palliative care team, if necessary
• Chaplains of different denominations

Each specialist is available to meet with you and discuss different aspects of your loved one's care.

Exceptional Critical Care Nursing in Tampa
Without a doubt, what sets our ICU apart is the skill and experience of our critical care nurses. Their compassionate care makes all the difference for our patients. The nurses work closely with the physicians and other staff members to ensure that patients and families feel as comfortable as possible and are getting the personalized care they need.

Advanced Technology for Medical Monitoring
We use state-of-the-art monitoring techniques for each patient. All of our treatment staff can monitor patients from different areas of the floor and even from another patient’s room.

The entire hospital uses Electronic Medical Records (EMR) to record and keep track of each patient’s care. This is advantageous in all areas of the hospital, however, in the ICU, this method makes all the difference if the patient is transferred to a different floor.

All aspects of treatment are available to each caretaker, reducing mistakes and increasing efficiency in care.

Each bed in the ICU can ask patients or family members specific types of questions in 27 languages.
For example:

• Are you hungry? 
• Are you in pain? 
• Where is your pain? 

All of the questions only require responses that are head nods and pointing, facilitating easy communication between patients and our caregivers.