Assessing the Performance of a Medical Intensive Care Unit: A 5-year single-center Experience

Patient care in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is complex and expensive, serving to provide optimal outcome as well as the adequate use of resources. Our objective was to determine variables associated with admission practices, processes of care, and clinical outcomes for critically ill patients. Admission records of a 10-bed ICU were gathered during a 5-year period. Variables such as average length of stay, bed turnover, bed occupancy rate, and turnover interval were evaluated. Of the 1719 patients evaluated, 54% were men. Mortality was highest between 10 pm and 2 am. There was no significant difference in ICU mortality during different days of the week. We showed that nonoffice hour admissions were not associated with poorer clinical outcomes, and significant differences in ICU mortality and ICU length of stay were not seen. Moreover, hospital mortality rates were not significantly higher for patients admitted to our ICU on weekends, at nights, or any day of the week.