PATIENTS who are discharged from Intensive Care Units (ICU) to hospital wards overnight are more likely to be die or be readmitted, according to new Oxford research.

Out-of-hours discharge from intensive care is strongly associated with both in-hospital death and ICU readmission, according to the study supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.

The research was prompted by statistics showing that one in 12 patients discharged from an intensive care unit (ICU) die unexpectedly on general wards before leaving hospital.

Researchers from the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences and the Kadoorie Centre, based at the John Radcliffe Hospital, looked at data from 18 studies from around the world and found the effects remained the same across all definitions of out-of-hours and across healthcare systems in different areas of the world.

However, whether these increases in mortality and readmission result from patient differences, differences in care, or a combination remains unclear.

The study was part of the REFLECT research programme, which is reviewing the care of patients after they have been discharged from intensive care.

This programme will provide an in-depth picture of post-ICU ward management in three NHS trusts.