[Preparedness for emergencies: strategies to increase the supply of beds and advanced intensive skills].

. Preparedness for emergencies: strategies to increase the supply of beds and advanced intensive skills.

Introduction: The recent pandemic has highlighted the importance of emergency preparedness plans. In addition to technological and structural resources, it is essential to have professionals with skills that allow them to safely work in intensive care areas.

Aim: The aim of the contribution is to propose an intervention model to develop the skills of nurses of operatory theatres or intensive care to enable them to work safely in critical care settings.

Methods: A plan was devised, involving a multiprofessional group to increase the number of beds in the intensive and semi-intensive care areas, as well as to train staff, hypothesising the activities to be reduced by moving staff to different areas.

Results: The proposed organisational model could be implemented in other hospitals; it guarantees emergency preparedness and the expansion of the skills of the staff involved.

Conclusions: Nursing staff with advanced skills should be readily available to safely guarantee the expansion of intensive care beds. The current division between intensive and semi-intensive settings could be revised in favour of a single critical care area.