Step 1 :The appropriate distribution to use in this case is the normal distribution, because the sample size is large enough (n > 30).
Step 2 :The formula for a confidence interval is: \(\bar{x} \pm Z \frac{\sigma}{\sqrt{n}}\) where: \(\bar{x}\) is the sample mean, Z is the Z-score, which depends on the confidence level. For a 99% confidence level, the Z-score is approximately 2.576, \(\sigma\) is the population standard deviation, and n is the sample size.
Step 3 :We can plug in the given values into this formula to find the confidence interval. The sample mean is 72.8, the population standard deviation is 2.5, the sample size is 33, and the Z-score for a 99% confidence level is 2.576.
Step 4 :Calculate the confidence interval: \(72.8 \pm 2.576 \frac{2.5}{\sqrt{33}}\)
Step 5 :Calculate the lower bound: \(72.8 - 2.576 \frac{2.5}{\sqrt{33}} = 71.7\)
Step 6 :Calculate the upper bound: \(72.8 + 2.576 \frac{2.5}{\sqrt{33}} = 73.9\)
Step 7 :The 99% confidence interval for the average number of patients admitted to the ICU daily across a large hospital network is approximately \(\boxed{[71.7, 73.9]}\) patients.