American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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Long stays in the intensive care unit are associated with high costs and burdens on patients and patients' families and in turn affect society at large. Although factors that affect length of stay and outcomes of care in the intensive care unit have been studied extensively, the conclusions reached have not been reviewed to determine whether they reveal an organizational pattern that might be of practical use in reducing length of stay in the unit. ⋯ Interventions involving palliative care, ethics consultations, and other methods to increase communication between healthcare personnel, patients, and patients' families may be helpful in decreasing length of stay in the intensive care unit. Further studies are needed to provide a strategy for targeting specific risk factors indicated by the literature review.