Researchers examined trends in ICU admissions from hospital-based EDs using data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey for 2002 through 2009. Here are some key findings:
• ICU admissions from EDs increased from 2.79 million in 2002 and 2003 to 4.14 million in 2008 and 2009, a total increase of 48.8 percent and a mean biennial increase of 14.2 percent.
• In contrast, overall ED visits increased an average of 5.8 percent per biennial period.
• For ED patients admitted to the ICU, utilization rates of most tests and services increased. For example, magnetic resonance imaging increased from 16.8 percent to 37.4 percent.
• The average ED length of stay and the average hospital length of stay for ICU admissions from the ED remained constant at 304 minutes and 6.6 days, respectively.
The authors concluded, “A greater emphasis on the ED-ICU interface and critical care delivered in the ED may be warranted.”
More Articles on ED Utilization:
4 Ways to Improve Patient Throughput in the ED
Study: Advanced Nursing Interventions Decrease ED Length of Stay
Medicare Patients’ Severity of Illness, ED Use Increased 2006-2010
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