Overnight physicians in ICU show little effect on outcomes

Researchers have found that nighttime intensivist staffing did not significantly improve outcomes, and may increase costs unnecessarily, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In a study of more than 1,500 patients, researchers discovered no benefits on hospital length of stay, hospital mortality, readmission to the ICU, or discharge. This indicates that nurses and residents are capable of handling ICU patients without an ICU physician on duty, one of the study’s authors noted.

The benefits of nighttime intensivists include improving staff satisfaction and patient experience and reducing physician burn-out, as well as the reduction of malpractice claim incidents, according to researchers.

Source: Fierce Healthcare