The demand for hospitalists is increasing due to decreasing numbers of clinical residents and increased concerns regarding patient safety. However, several limitations in the surgical hospitalist role exist. The personnel of the surgical hospitalist, rapid response team (RRT), surgical critical care, and trauma surgery teams were unified under the admission, critical care, and trauma surgery (ACTs) team at this institution. The ACTs target are patients with severe disease not undergoing general postoperative course, or patients with the potential for severe conversion. Two surgical intensivists are on duty once a week and oversee the intensive care unit (ICU), the back-up treatment of critically ill patients, and the immediate treatment of trauma patients. ACTs also participate in the surgical RRT and select patients with a high probability of severe exacerbation. Between 2019-2021, the cardiopulmonary resuscitation incidence per 1,000 hospitalized patients in the surgical department decreased significantly from 0.81 to 0.55. From March to December 2021, the ACTs team were involved with 101 of 158 surgical patients admitted to the ICU: 62 with postoperative status, 29 with severe trauma, and 10 transferred to the ICU via RRT screening. Based on our experience, the role of the ACTs team can help improve patient safety.

Citations

• Computed tomography-based triage and outcomes of a dedicated COVID-19 Emergency Surgical Team (CEST) for suspected acute abdomen in a Korean COVID-19 base hospital: a retrospective cohort study
  Jun Hyung Kim, Sungho Lee, Kwanhoon Park, Kang Yoon Lee, Da Hyun Jung, Il Jo, Hangil Yun, Ji Young Jang
  Journal of Acute Care Surgery.2026; 16(1): 31.     CrossRef
• Impact of Resident Shortage on Trauma Care During the 2024 Medical Conflict: A Single Regional Emergency Medical Center Experience and Recommendations
  Jun Hyung Kim, Sungho Lee, Kwanhoon Park, Kang Yoon Lee, Ji Young Jang
  Journal of Acute Care Surgery.2025; 15(1): 13.     CrossRef