National early warning scores on critical care unit discharge do not predict readmission: A retrospective case–control study

Abstract

Unplanned readmission to an intensive care unit (ICU) is associated with increased duration of hospital stay, increased resource use and fourfold increase in mortality [ [1] Metnitz P.G.H. Fieux F. Jordan B. Lang T. Moreno R. Le Gall J.R. Critically ill patients readmitted to intensive care units—lessons to learn?. Intensive Care Med. 2003; 29: 241 Crossref PubMed Scopus (109) Google Scholar ]. National guidance for the provision of intensive care services recommends that the rate of early [within 48-h] unplanned readmission should be ≤1.8% of all discharges [ 2 Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine & the Intensive Care Society Guidelines for the Provision of Intensive Care Services. 2016 Google Scholar ]. Potential predictors to avoid this adverse event would improve patient care; these may include the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) score and Simplified Acute Physiology score (SAPS II) [ 3 Frost S.A. Alexandrou E. Bogdanovski T. Salamonson Y. Davidson P.M. Parr M.J. et al. Severity of illness and risk of readmission to intensive care: a meta-analysis. Resuscitation. 2009; 80: 505-510 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (77) Google Scholar ]. The National Early Warning Score (NEWS) may be a simple tool for this purpose.