Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 28, 2026

Observational Study Protocol for Repeated Clinical Examination and Critical Care Ultrasonography Within the Simple Intensive Care Studies
Published on: January 16, 2019
Discharge home from critical care: safety assessment in a resource constrained system
Siyao Xing1, Ashraf Roshdy2,3, Jayachandran Radhakrishnan4
1Watford General Hospital, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Watford, UK.
Background:
High bed occupancy rates have delayed patient discharges from UK critical care units, especially in acute medical hospitals. As a result, more patients are discharged home directly from critical care (DH).
Methods:
In this observational, retrospective study, we quantify the trends in DH from 2013 to 2018, and assess readmission rates and outcome in this group when compared to patients discharged from a ward, from 2014 to 2016.
Results:
DH rates, as a proportion of critical care admissions, increased every year (2.47% in 2013 to 19.36% in 2018). In 2014-16, the most common admission diagnoses in DH patients were diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA; 35%), drug overdose (12%), seizures (8%) and respiratory failure (8%). DH patients were younger and had shorter critical care stay. Readmission rates in DH patients were comparable to the rest of the hospital. Patients with DKA and seizures were more likely to be readmitted.
Conclusions:
Our data suggest that direct home discharge from critical care is increasingly common but safe in selected patient groups.
More Related Videos
14:28Non-Invasive Monitoring of Microvascular Oxygenation and Reactive Hyperemia using Hybrid, Near-Infrared Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy for Critical Care
Published on: May 10, 2024
04:00Author Spotlight: Assessing Surgical Frailty with Point-of-Care Ultrasound of Quadriceps Muscles
Published on: July 26, 2024
Related Concept Videos
Discharge Summary Forms
Here's a detailed look at the key components and guidelines for preparing a discharge summary:
Survey Safety
Short-distance Transport of Resources
RC Circuits: Discharging A Capacitor
Critical Region, Critical Values and Significance Level
In hypothesis testing, a sample statistic is converted to a test statistic using z, t, or chi-square distribution. A critical region is an area under the curve in probability distributions demarcated by the critical value. When the test statistic falls in this region, it suggests that the null hypothesis must be rejected. As this region contains all those values of the...
Critical Values