Intensive Care Unit Outcomes at a Tertiary Care Hospital: An Observational Study

TL;DR

This study examines ICU patient outcomes at a hospital in Nepal, finding high rates of discharge against medical advice and mortality.

Contribution

The study provides recent data on ICU outcomes in a tertiary care hospital in Nepal, highlighting high discharge and mortality rates.

Findings

Respiratory and hepatobiliary conditions were the most common reasons for ICU admission.

A high rate of discharge against medical advice (47.95%) and mortality (27.95%) was observed.

The average ICU stay was 3.15 days with a standard deviation of 2.88 days.

Abstract

Intensive care units are specialized units where critically ill patients are managed with constant monitoring and advanced support. The aim of the study was to find out the outcomes of patients admitted to the intensive care unit at a tertiary care hospital in a province of Nepal.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital from 1st February to 30th April, 2023. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 48/079-080). Convenience sampling was used and a total of 390 patients admitted to the intensive care unit during the study period were included. Data were collected from hospital records and entered into Microsoft Excel 2016. Analysis was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Frequency and percentages were used for binary data and mean and standard deviation for continuous data.

Out of 390 patients admitted, 230 (59.00%) were males, and 162 (41.54%) were aged 60 years or older. Respiratory system involvement was diagnosed in 92 (23.59%) patients, and hepatobiliary conditions in 74 (18.97%) patients. Discharge against medical advice occurred in 187 (47.95%) patients, 109 (27.95%) expired, and 59 (15.13%) were referred. The mean duration of intensive care unit stay was 3.15±2.88 days.

Respiratory and hepatobiliary conditions were the most common reasons for intensive care unit admissions. A high rate of discharge against medical advice and mortality was observed compared to previous studies.