Encyclopedia of Intensive Care Medicine

2012 Edition
| Editors: Jean-Louis Vincent, Jesse B. Hall

Transfer of Patients to Other Ward Areas

Reference work entry
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00418-6_122
How to cite

Synonyms

 Intensive care unit discharge;  Intensive care unit dismissal;  Transfer from intensive care unit;  Transfer to other ward areas

Definition

The field of intensive care medicine rapidly moves forward with growing numbers of patients surviving critical illness. Ultimately, patients surviving critical illness are transferred to other ward areas. Depending on individual patient needs and local policies (and/or availabilities), intensive care unit (ICU) patients are transferred to general care areas (“the floor”), higher acuity step-down units or progressive care departments.

Challenges with Transfer of Intensive Care Unit Patients to Other Ward Areas

Unplanned or Unexpected ICU Readmission

Although most patients surviving critical illness no longer require life-support interventions after ICU discharge, 4–10% of patients are reported to be readmitted to the ICU [1]. Except in rare cases of staged surgical interventions, most of ICU readmissions are not planned [1]. Patients with...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

References

  1. 1.
    Rosenberg AL, Watts C (2000) Patients readmitted to ICUs: a systematic review of risk factors and outcomes. Chest 118(2):492–502PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. 2.
    Rosenberg AL, Hofer TP, Hayward RA, Strachan C, Watts CM (2001) Who bounces back? Physiologic and other predictors of intensive care unit readmission. Crit Care Med 29(3):511–518PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. 3.
    Metnitz PG, Fieux F, Jordan B, Lang T, Moreno R, Le Gall JR (2003) Critically ill patients readmitted to intensive care units–lessons to learn? Intensive Care Med 29(2):241–248PubMedGoogle Scholar
  4. 4.
    Gajic O, Malinchoc M, Comfere TB, Harris MR, Achouiti A, Yilmaz M, Schultz MJ, Hubmayr RD, Afessa B, Farmer JC (2008) The stability and workload index for transfer score predicts unplanned intensive care unit patient readmission: initial development and validation. Crit Care Med 36(3):676–682PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. 5.
    Peelen L, de Keizer NF, Peek N, Scheffer GJ, van der Voort PH, de Jonge E (2007) The influence of volume and intensive care unit organization on hospital mortality in patients admitted with severe sepsis: a retrospective multicentre cohort study. Crit Care 11(2):R40PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. 6.
    Ball C, Kirkby M, Williams S (2003) Effect of the critical care outreach team on patient survival to discharge from hospital and readmission to critical care: non-randomised population based study. Bmj 327(7422):1014PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. 7.
    Pittard AJ (2003) Out of our reach? Assessing the impact of introducing a critical care outreach service. Anaesthesia 58(9):882–885PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. 8.
    Leary T, Ridley S (2003) Impact of an outreach team on re-admissions to a critical care unit. Anaesthesia 58(4):328–332PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. 9.
    Priestley G, Watson W, Rashidian A, Mozley C, Russell D, Wilson J, Cope J, Hart D, Kay D, Cowley K et al (2004) Introducing critical care outreach: a ward-randomised trial of phased introduction in a general hospital. Intensive Care Med 30(7):1398–1404PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Laboratory of Experimental Intensive Care and Anesthesiology (L·E·I·C·A)Academic Medical Center, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
  2. 2.Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Mayo Epidemiology and Translational Research in Intensive Care (METRIC)Mayo ClinicsRochesterUSA