Objective: To study differences related to intensive care unit (ICU) structure and patient demography between the various countries of Western Europe.
Design: Application of data collected by the European Prevalence of Infection in Intensive Care (EPIC) study, a one-day prevalence study.
Setting: Voluntary participation of all Western European ICUs. A total of 1417 ICUs responded.
Patients: All patients, older than 10 years of age, occupying a bed in the participating ICUs over a 24-h period. 10,038 patient case reports were submitted.
Results: The study revealed important differences. In particular, there seems to be a north/south divide with fewer ICU beds and more severely ill patients in the south. The United Kingdom seemed more similar to southern European countries than to the north.
Conclusion: While there are similarities between European countries, large differences still remain and are important to identify to enable us to work together to create a more uniform system of intensive care, which will in turn give more effective and efficient patient care.