UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Postoperative critical care and high-acuity care provision in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand

Wong, DJN; Popham, S; Wilson, AM; Barneto, LM; Lindsay, HA; Farmer, L; Saunders, D; ... Moonesinghe, SR; + view all (2019) Postoperative critical care and high-acuity care provision in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. British Journal of Anaesthesia , 122 (4) pp. 460-469. 10.1016/j.bja.2018.12.026. Green open access

[thumbnail of Harris SNAP2_Cancellations_Manuscript 2019-05-24 UCL upload.pdf]
Preview
Text
Harris SNAP2_Cancellations_Manuscript 2019-05-24 UCL upload.pdf - Accepted Version

Download (658kB) | Preview

Abstract

Background Decisions to admit high-risk postoperative patients to critical care may be affected by resource availability. We aimed to quantify adult ICU/high-dependency unit (ICU/HDU) capacity in hospitals from the UK, Australia, and New Zealand (NZ), and to identify and describe additional ‘high-acuity’ beds capable of managing high-risk patients outside the ICU/HDU environment. Methods We used a modified Delphi consensus method to design a survey that was disseminated via investigator networks in the UK, Australia, and NZ. Hospital- and ward-level data were collected, including bed numbers, tertiary services offered, presence of an emergency department, ward staffing levels, and the availability of critical care facilities. Results We received responses from 257 UK (response rate: 97.7%), 35 Australian (response rate: 32.7%), and 17 NZ (response rate: 94.4%) hospitals (total 309). Of these hospitals, 91.6% reported on-site ICU or HDU facilities. UK hospitals reported fewer critical care beds per 100 hospital beds (median=2.7) compared with Australia (median=3.7) and NZ (median=3.5). Additionally, 31.1% of hospitals reported having high-acuity beds to which high-risk patients were admitted for postoperative management, in addition to standard ICU/HDU facilities. The estimated numbers of critical care beds per 100 000 population were 9.3, 14.1, and 9.1 in the UK, Australia, and NZ, respectively. The estimated per capita high-acuity bed capacities per 100 000 population were 1.2, 3.8, and 6.4 in the UK, Australia, and NZ, respectively. Conclusions Postoperative critical care resources differ in the UK, Australia, and NZ. High-acuity beds may have developed to augment the capacity to deliver postoperative critical care.

Type: Article
Title: Postoperative critical care and high-acuity care provision in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.bja.2018.12.026
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2018.12.026
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Anesthesiology, critical care, health services research, patient safety, perioperative care, postoperative complications, SURGERY, MORTALITY, SURVIVAL
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Surgery and Interventional Sci
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Surgery and Interventional Sci > Department of Targeted Intervention
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Health Informatics
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10074818
Downloads since deposit
98Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item