Effect of Around the Clock Intensivist Coverage on Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Outcomes

Intensive Care Units (ICU) are an important, but troubled, part of modern health care systems. While it seems likely that both the technical and structural elements of ICU care are important determinants of relevant ICU outcomes, little is known about how the structure of ICU care affects outcomes. One element of potential importance is the way that ICU physicians (intensivists) organize themselves to provide ICU care, particularly at night. The dominant, historical ("standard") model of intensivist staffing involves an intensivist who is present during daytime hours, but then takes "call" at night from home. But, in recent years there has been widespread concern about whether patients experience adverse events or worse outcomes related to a lesser level of expertise and care readily available at night in hospitals. Only two studies, both from single ICUs, and both using simple before vs. after study designs, have conducted interventional studies directly comparing a "standard" intensivist staffing model with a "24-7" model of nighttime intensivist coverage via shift work, i.e. with the daytime intensivist giving way at the late afternoon to a nightshift intensivist who remained in the hospital and covered the ICU until morning. Those two studies found contradictory effects of the intervention. But despite the absence of clear data indicating a benefit to ICU patients associated with having intensivists remain in the hospital overnight, there has been a major movement around the world towards ICU staffing models utilizing shift work to ensure such coverage. The potential impact of such a change in staffing paradigm is large, with possible effects on all the other major stakeholders involved in ICU care: families, nurses, and house officers. Both benefits and detriments are possible. On the one hand, moving to a shift work model from a model in which a single intensivist becomes overworked and sleep-deprived as a result of being responsible for care both day and nig