critical caren.
/ˌkrɪtᵻkl ˈkɛː/, U.S. /ˌkrɪdək(ə)l ˈkɛ(ə)r/ Originally North American.
Specialized nursing and medical care provided in hospital to patients affected by a life-threatening illness, injury, or other condition; (also) a facility providing such care (cf. critical care unit); = intensive care.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > types of treatment generally > [noun] > intensive care
critical care1956
intensive care1963
1956 Huronite & Daily Plainsman (Huron, S. Dakota) 1 Nov. (Inter-city ed.) 3/2 Students studying at the Charles T. Miller Hospital will study specifically the specialties in nursing including eye, ear, nose, throat, neurosurgery, orthopedics, critical care and team nursing practice.
1971 Amer. Jrnl. Nursing 71 2374/2 The nurse who assumes responsibility for the cardiovascular patient during his acute illness must be an expert in critical care.
2020 Times 25 Mar. 12 Within a fortnight the number of patients needing critical care will exceed the number of intensive care beds usually available in five of seven NHS regions.
Compounds
General use as a modifier, esp. in critical care unit.
ΚΠ
1956 Hospitals (Amer. Hosp. Assoc.) 16 Oct. 46 (title) Critical care unit in 134-bed hospital.
1986 S. J. Youngner Human Values in Crit. Care Med. 140 The critical care nurse is literally at the bedside on a continuous basis.
1998 South Wales Evening Post (Nexis) 23 Mar. (Health section) 5 In some circumstances it has been necessary to delay urgent surgery due to the unavailability of critical care beds post-operatively.
2010 Globe & Mail (Canada) (Nexis) 26 Nov. f1 One machine universal to all is the mechanical ventilator, a breathing apparatus that distinguishes critical-care patients from all others.
2021 Northern Echo (Nexis) 21 Aug. Our critical care units are now full of young unvaccinated patients who never thought they would become this ill.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2022).
<
n.1956