The organizational structure of intensive care units and its influence on patient outcomes.

Despite the growing body of knowledge on the theory of organization, the application of such theory to the organization of intensive care units is in its infancy. Our knowledge about the influence of ICU organization on patient outcomes is limited. Development of instruments to measure ICU organization, and their implementation in studies of new therapies and technologies, will assist in demonstrating the effect of various models of ICU organization on the provision of clinical care.