Examination of Impact of After-Hours Admissions on Hospital Resource Use, Patient Outcomes, and Costs

Background. Nighttime and weekends in hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) contexts are thought to present a greater risk for adverse events than daytime admissions. Although some studies exist comparing admission time with patient outcomes, the results are contradictory. No studies currently exis...

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Main Authors: Charlenn Skead, Laura H. Thompson, Hanna Kuk, Ariel Hendin, Moosa Yasir Hamood Al Abri, Yasmeen Choudhri, Tim Ramsay, Brent Herritt, Kwadwo Kyeremanteng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2022-01-01
Series:Critical Care Research and Practice
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/4815734
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author Charlenn Skead
Laura H. Thompson
Hanna Kuk
Ariel Hendin
Moosa Yasir Hamood Al Abri
Yasmeen Choudhri
Tim Ramsay
Brent Herritt
Kwadwo Kyeremanteng
author_facet Charlenn Skead
Laura H. Thompson
Hanna Kuk
Ariel Hendin
Moosa Yasir Hamood Al Abri
Yasmeen Choudhri
Tim Ramsay
Brent Herritt
Kwadwo Kyeremanteng
author_sort Charlenn Skead
collection DOAJ
description Background. Nighttime and weekends in hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) contexts are thought to present a greater risk for adverse events than daytime admissions. Although some studies exist comparing admission time with patient outcomes, the results are contradictory. No studies currently exist comparing costs with the time of admission. We investigated the differences in-hospital mortality, ICU length of stay, ICU mortality, and cost between daytime and nighttime admissions. Methods. All adult patients (≥18 years of age) admitted to a large academic medical-surgical ICU between 2011 and 2015 were included. Admission cohorts were defined as daytime (8:00–16:59) or nighttime (17:00–07:59). Student’s t-tests and chi-squared tests were used to test for associations between days spent in the ICU, days on mechanical ventilation, comorbidities, diagnoses, and cohort membership. Regression analysis was used to test for associations between patient and hospitalization characteristics and in-hospital mortality and total ICU costs. Results. The majority of admissions occurred during nighttime hours (69.5%) with no difference in the overall Elixhauser comorbidity score between groups (p=0.22). Overall ICU length of stay was 7.96 days for daytime admissions compared to 7.07 days (p=0.001) for patients admitted during nighttime hours. Overall mortality was significantly higher in daytime admissions (22.5% vs 20.6, p=0.012); however, ICU mortality was not different. The average MODS was 2.9 with those admitted during the daytime having a significantly higher MODS (3.0, p=0.046). Total ICU cost was significantly higher for daytime admissions (p=0.003). Adjusted ICU mortality was similar in both groups despite an increased rate of adverse events for nighttime admissions. Daytime admissions were associated with increased cost. There was no difference in all hospital total cost or all hospital direct cost between groups. These findings are likely due to the higher severity of illness in daytime admissions. Conclusion. Daytime admissions were associated with a higher severity of illness, mortality rate, and ICU cost. To further account for the effect of staffing differences during off-hours, it may be beneficial to compare weekday and weeknight admission times with associated mortality rates.
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spelling doaj-art-0a8f7b62d62f4630a6cd9613ac7c69e72025-08-20T03:17:26ZengWileyCritical Care Research and Practice2090-13132022-01-01202210.1155/2022/4815734Examination of Impact of After-Hours Admissions on Hospital Resource Use, Patient Outcomes, and CostsCharlenn Skead0Laura H. Thompson1Hanna Kuk2Ariel Hendin3Moosa Yasir Hamood Al Abri4Yasmeen Choudhri5Tim Ramsay6Brent Herritt7Kwadwo Kyeremanteng8Department of MedicineOttawa Hospital Research InstituteDepartment of MedicineDepartment of Emergency MedicineDivision of Critical CareOttawa Hospital Research InstituteOttawa Hospital Research InstituteDepartment of Critical Care MedicineDivision of Critical CareBackground. Nighttime and weekends in hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) contexts are thought to present a greater risk for adverse events than daytime admissions. Although some studies exist comparing admission time with patient outcomes, the results are contradictory. No studies currently exist comparing costs with the time of admission. We investigated the differences in-hospital mortality, ICU length of stay, ICU mortality, and cost between daytime and nighttime admissions. Methods. All adult patients (≥18 years of age) admitted to a large academic medical-surgical ICU between 2011 and 2015 were included. Admission cohorts were defined as daytime (8:00–16:59) or nighttime (17:00–07:59). Student’s t-tests and chi-squared tests were used to test for associations between days spent in the ICU, days on mechanical ventilation, comorbidities, diagnoses, and cohort membership. Regression analysis was used to test for associations between patient and hospitalization characteristics and in-hospital mortality and total ICU costs. Results. The majority of admissions occurred during nighttime hours (69.5%) with no difference in the overall Elixhauser comorbidity score between groups (p=0.22). Overall ICU length of stay was 7.96 days for daytime admissions compared to 7.07 days (p=0.001) for patients admitted during nighttime hours. Overall mortality was significantly higher in daytime admissions (22.5% vs 20.6, p=0.012); however, ICU mortality was not different. The average MODS was 2.9 with those admitted during the daytime having a significantly higher MODS (3.0, p=0.046). Total ICU cost was significantly higher for daytime admissions (p=0.003). Adjusted ICU mortality was similar in both groups despite an increased rate of adverse events for nighttime admissions. Daytime admissions were associated with increased cost. There was no difference in all hospital total cost or all hospital direct cost between groups. These findings are likely due to the higher severity of illness in daytime admissions. Conclusion. Daytime admissions were associated with a higher severity of illness, mortality rate, and ICU cost. To further account for the effect of staffing differences during off-hours, it may be beneficial to compare weekday and weeknight admission times with associated mortality rates.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/4815734
spellingShingle Charlenn Skead
Laura H. Thompson
Hanna Kuk
Ariel Hendin
Moosa Yasir Hamood Al Abri
Yasmeen Choudhri
Tim Ramsay
Brent Herritt
Kwadwo Kyeremanteng
Examination of Impact of After-Hours Admissions on Hospital Resource Use, Patient Outcomes, and Costs
Critical Care Research and Practice
title Examination of Impact of After-Hours Admissions on Hospital Resource Use, Patient Outcomes, and Costs
title_full Examination of Impact of After-Hours Admissions on Hospital Resource Use, Patient Outcomes, and Costs
title_fullStr Examination of Impact of After-Hours Admissions on Hospital Resource Use, Patient Outcomes, and Costs
title_full_unstemmed Examination of Impact of After-Hours Admissions on Hospital Resource Use, Patient Outcomes, and Costs
title_short Examination of Impact of After-Hours Admissions on Hospital Resource Use, Patient Outcomes, and Costs
title_sort examination of impact of after hours admissions on hospital resource use patient outcomes and costs
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/4815734
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