REPORT SHOWS SMALLER INTENSIVE CARE UNIT OUTCOMES COMPARABLE TO LARGER UNITS

On 8^th November 2023, Professor Rory Dwyer, Clinical Lead of the Irish National ICU Audit launched the Irish National ICU Audit Annual Report 2021 at a virtual meeting hosted by the National Office of Clinical Audit (NOCA).

This Report provides data on 96% of all Intensive Care Unit (ICU) activity in 2021, accounting for 11,420 patients in 26 Units across 22 hospitals. The Audit reports on the care of patients in adult ICUs, the sickest patients in the hospital. The Report offers a deep insight into the activity in these Units and the complexity of care provided, shedding light on resource requirements and areas for improvement in ICU services.

A key insight from the Report shows that risk-adjusted mortality rates were within the acceptable range in all Units. Reassuringly, outcomes were similar whether patients were initially admitted to larger Units, serving over 200 patients annually, or smaller Units with fewer than 200 patients each year. This finding differs to experience internationally which found outcomes were less favourable in smaller Units compared to larger Units and it reflects well on the consistent quality of care provided across the country. The Report also attributes this finding to the large number of inter-hospital transfers (913 patients, 8% of all admission to ICU), mostly from smaller to larger Units. This practice has played a pivotal role in ensuring the uniformity of outcomes for critically ill patients throughout the ICU network.

The IRISH NATIONAL ICU AUDIT ANNUAL REPORT 2021 IS available to download here. The recording of the webinar is available to view now.