Teaching and practicing cost-awareness in the intensive care unit: A TARGET to aim for

Intensive care is one of the main contributors to rising inpatient hospital costs due to frequent use of expensive diagnostics and therapies. With successful track records of team- and protocol-based care, intensive care units are ideal sites to take the lead in reducing overuse and misuse of diagnostic tests and prescribing. We offer a framework for practicing and teaching cost-awareness in the intensive care unit based on the acronym TARGET. The components of the care are as follows: Talk to patients about their preferences for care, Ask for outside tests, avoid Routine and/or Repeated tests, prescribe Generic medications, Educate about costs, and Transfuse appropriately.