Clinical Decision
The Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) is a unit within the Emergency Department and is an integral part of the emergency department. Its sole use is for ED patients who require a short period of observation or treatment typically for a maximum of 24 hours.
It is a 12 trolley unit split into:
● 2 x 4 bay rooms en suite
● 2 x 1 bay rooms
● 1 x 2 bay observation rooms
● 1 x sitting room which can cater for 6 people
Trolleys are used in the unit due to the short period of time that it is envisaged the patients will remain with us.
Patients are admitted to the unit under the care of the five ED consultants - Professor Stephen Cusack, Dr Chris Luke, Dr Gerry McCarthy, Dr Íomhar O’Sullivan and Dr Gemma Kelleher. Each morning and afternoon (at a minimum), a Consultant undertakes a review of all patients in the CDU in an effort to ensure efficient, timely management and discharge of patients. Since the opening of CDU in April 2005, nearly 11,000 patients have passed through the unit.
Type of conditions treated in the CDU are:
- Deliberate self harm/overdose
- Mild traumatic brain injury
- “Rule out” subarachnoid haemorrhage
- Soft tissue infection e.g. cellulitis
- Allergic reaction
- Victims of high energy trauma without clear diagnoses
- “Rule out” D.V.T.
- Non specific chest pain
Any condition, which can be treated by the Emergency Consultant and discharged between 24 to 48 hours.
The CDU log (a software programme) has been set up to record and track the patients admitted to the unit. This allows us to audit information such as:
- Daily trolley occupancy rate
- Mean length of C.D.U. stay
- Diagnosis on admission and discharge
- Deaths in C.D.U.
- Critical incident reports