Intensive care unit admission protocol controlled by intensivists can reduce transfer delays from the emergency department in critically ill patients

Background:Delayed transfer of patients from the emergency department to the intensive care unit is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Critically ill patients with delayed admission to the intensive care unit had higher in-hospital mortality and increased hospital length of stay.Objectives:We investigated the effects of an intensive care unit admission protocol controlled by intensivists on the emergency department length of stay among critically ill patients.Methods:We designed the intensive care unit admission protocol to reduce the emergency department length of stay in critically ill patients. Full-time intensivists determined intensive care unit admission priorities based on the severity of illness. Data were gathered from patients who were admitted from the emergency department to the intensive care unit between 1 April 2016 and 30 November 2016. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data and compared the emergency department length of stay between patients admitted from the emergency dep...