Patient monitoring device displaying vital signs beside a hospital bed in a clinical care setting.

The Intensive Care Unit of the Future 

How can intensive care units meet future challenges?

Germany’s intensive care units are facing an increasing number of challenges due to rising demand for care, greater treatment complexity, heavy workloads, infection risks, and a shortage of skilled staff. The ‘Intensive Care Unit of the Future’ consortium project [1] investigated key future challenges for intensive care units and developed new approaches to address them. The focus was on preventing hospital-acquired infections, optimizing workflows, and creating sustainable ward structures. These findings aim to reduce infection rates, improve working conditions, and support the delivery of efficient and sustainable intensive care. Industry partners also contributed their practical expertise, including the HARTMANN SCIENCE CENTER, which focused on two key areas: sustainability and digital infection prevention.

Material consumption and sustainability in intensive care units

Healthcare systems worldwide are a significant contributor to climate change. Healthcare accounted for an estimated 4.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2014 [2]. At the same time, climate change is having an impact on public health, leading to an increased demand for healthcare services. Therefore, in recent years, awareness of the need for climate protection measures in the healthcare sector has grown [3]. This is particularly relevant for intensive care units, which have a problematic environmental footprint [4]. Using sustainable materials, reducing waste and adopting environmentally friendly technologies can help to protect the environment and conserve resources. However, this must not compromise patient safety or the quality of care. As implementation depends on factors such as climate, the legal framework and local conditions, it is only possible to implement one-size-fits-all solutions to a limited extent.

Digital solutions and electronic monitoring systems

Although up to 90 per cent of pathogens in the healthcare sector are transmitted via the hands [5], there is room for improvement in hand hygiene compliance (HHC) [6]. In Germany, around 600,000 patients are affected by nosocomial infections (NIs) each year [7], incurring costs of approximately €2 billion [8]. Digital solutions and monitoring systems could play a vital part in reducing HAIs in intensive care units by optimizing HHC, automatically identifying infection clusters and ensuring environmental cleaning. To make optimal use of existing digital systems in future, structural or infrastructural measures may be required. Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) could offer further potential, particularly in pattern recognition, surveillance, and the early identification of infection risks.

Key points at a glance

  • Future-proof intensive care units must give equal consideration to sustainability and patient safety.

  • Digital solutions and AI open up new possibilities for more effective infection prevention and optimized workflows.

Sources

  1. Sunder W et al. (2026) The Intensive Care Unit of the Future. Guide: Planning and Development of Structural and Process-Based Model Solutions for Intensive Care Units. BBSR Online Publication 18/2026. Bonn. https://doi.org/10.58007/sa1h-2x96

  1. Karliner Josh et al. (2019) Health Care’s Climate Footprint: How the Health Sector Contributes to the Global Climate Crisis and Opportunities for Action. https://noharm- global.org/sites/default/files/documents-files/5961/HealthCaresClimateFootprint_092319.pdf (accessed on 5 August 2026)

  1. Federal Ministry of Health (2022) Climate Pact for Health. https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/fileadmin/Dateien/3_Downloads/G/Gesundheit/Erklaerung_Klimapakt_Gesundheit_A4_barrierefrei.pdf (accessed on 5 August 2026)

  1. Prasad PA et al. (2022) Environmental footprint of regular and intensive inpatient care in a large US hospital. Int J Life Cycle Assess 27: 38–49. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-021-01998-8.

  1. Kramer A (2006) Hand hygiene – protection of patients and staff. GMS Krankenhaushyg Interdiszip 1: Doc14. https://www.egms.de/static/en/journals/dgkh/2006-1/dgkh000014.shtml (accessed on 6 August 2026)

  1. KRINKO (2016) Hand hygiene in healthcare settings. Bundesgesundheitsbl 59: 1189–1220. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00103-016-2416-6.

  1. Suetens C et al. (2018) Prevalence of healthcare-associated infections, estimated incidence and composite antimicrobial resistance index in acute care hospitals and long-term care facilities: results from two European point prevalence surveys, 2016 to 2017. Euro Surveill 23: 1800516. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2018.23.46.1800516.

  1. Nachtigall I, Bonsignore M (2018) Economic implications of hygiene. Krankenhaushygiene up2date 13: 419–431. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-0749-6933

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