Role of the Medical Director

Each ICU should have a physician who is board-certified or board-eligible in critical care medicine to function as medical director.^[8] The role of the medical director is to ensure the quality and safety of patient care in the ICU. Responsibilities often include education of house staff, patient triage decisions, development of clinical protocols, and performance improvement. Anesthesiologists frequently serve as medical directors, primarily of surgical ICUs. As hospital-based physicians, anesthesiologists are particularly well placed to appreciate the issues that affect patient care and the efficient flow of patients from the operating rooms through the ICUs.