Published in:
01-09-2013 | What's New in Intensive Care
What’s new in ICU volume-outcome relationships?
Author:
Jeremy M. Kahn
Published in:
Intensive Care Medicine
|
Issue 9/2013
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Excerpt
Among the most enduring and consistent observations in intensive care unit (ICU) organization is the finding that ICUs that care for a high volume of patients experience improved risk-adjusted outcomes. This finding, known as the “volume-outcome relationship,” was first robustly demonstrated in mechanically ventilated patients in 2006 [
1] and has been re-demonstrated in multiple other ICU cohorts since [
2]. Yet despite the growing evidence in support of volume-outcome relationships, clinicians and policy makers have struggled to translate these relationships into improved outcomes for ICU patients. This article will review recent research findings related to the ICU volume-outcome relationship, with a particular focus on data suggesting how we might harness these relationships to improve the quality of care in all ICUs. …