Importantly, the operational responses confounded the ICNARC dataset with an apparent reduction in delayed discharge and out-of-hours discharge.
Data collected: patient demographics, APACHE II score, time of discharge from the ICU, reason for out-of-hours discharge, and hospital mortality.
Out-of-hours discharge from the ICU is associated with increased mortality.
For unit survivors discharged to the ward, there was an apparent increase in out-of-hours discharges (and an associated increase in hospital mortality) in the first month after the introduction of CCOS.
The aim of this study was to determine the reasons behind out-of-hours discharges in our hospital and the effect this has on mortality.
Out-of-hours (OOH) discharge from critical care is associated with a significantly increased mortality rate in Australasia [ 1].
The aim of this audit was to assess the clinical impact of out-of-hours (OOH) discharge from the adult critical care unit (ACCU) in a tertiary care hospital.
Out-of-hours (OOH) discharges are used as a quality indicator for this reason.
In a subsequent study of Finnish ICU patients, Uusaro et al failed to show "out-of-office" hour discharges (defined as those occurring from 1600 h to 0800 h) were associated with post-ICU mortality [ 8].
Many researchers have pointed out the effectiveness of discharge planning, citing outcomes such as shorter hospitalizations, greater satisfaction of clients, more usage of home care services and fewer readmissions [ 6- 10].
