Critical illness results in millions of deaths each year. Care for those with critical illness is often neglected due to a lack of prioritisation, co-ordination, and coverage of timely identification and basic life-saving treatments. Critically ill patients are cared for in units for intensive, intermediate and emergency care – as well as in hospital wards.
EECC – essential emergency and critical care – is the care that all critically ill patients should receive in all hospitals in the world. EECC consists of 40 pragmatic and low-cost treatment and actions, such as triage, monitoring, patient positioning, oxygen and iv. fluids, and has the potential to improve care and substantially reduce preventable mortality.
EECC should be part of universal health coverage, is appropriate for all countries in the world, and is intended for patients irrespective of age, gender, underlying diagnosis, medical specialty, or location in the hospital.”