Table 2

Mean scores for each clinical presentation rated by residents and attending physicians

Clinical presentations

Resident

Attending

1. Acute respiratory failure

18.0

18.0

2. Cardiac dysrhythmia

15.6

18.4

3. Shock

17.3

15.0

4. Derangements of electrolytes and osmolality

15.5

14.7

5. Acid-base derangements

14.0

14.8

6. Seizure

14.4

13.6

7. Cardiac arrest

13.5

13.8

8. Drug overdose and withdrawal

13.6

12.4

9. Multisystem trauma

13.2

12.7

10. Sepsis

12.9

11.2

11. Diabetes mellitus and its complications

11.1

12.9

12. Chest pain

11.9

11.4

13. Gastrointestinal bleeding

11.9

10.9

14. Acute defects in haemostasis

11.8

10.2

15. Coma

9.3

11.3

16. Raised intracranial pressure

9.0

10.5

17. Perioperative management

10.0

8.3

18. Hypertensive emergency

8.4

9.7

19. Acute abdomen

9.3

8.6

20. The febrile ICU patient

9.6

7.2

21. Traumatic brain injury

7.2

9.4

22. Nontraumatic intracranial bleed

8.7

7.5

23. Delirium

8.7

7.2

24. Acute renal failure

8.0

7.8

25. Adrenal crisis

5.4

7.0

26. Obstetrical complications

5.7

6.4

27. End-of-life decision-making

4.7

7.6

28. Burns

5.4

6.4

29. Rhabdomyolysis

6.2

5.5

30. Diarrhoea in the ICU patient

5.8

5.8

31. Anoxic brain injury

4.4

6.7

32. Near drowning

5.0

5.2

33. Polyuria

4.6

5.1

34. Acute pancreatitis

4.4

5.3

35. Acute neuromuscular disease

5.2

4.1

36. Acute and fulminant hepatic failure

3.2

4.2

37. Patient with brain death

2.6

3.6

The mean scores for each clinical presentation were obtained by multiplying scores for each category of life-threatening, frequency and reversibility together. Rank order was determined by averaging resident and attending mean scores for each clinical presentation. ICU, intensive care unit.

Peets et al. Critical Care 2008 12:R127   doi:10.1186/cc7087