The Relationship Between Hospital Size and ICU Type on Select Adverse Patient Outcomes

The authors examined the relationships among hospital size and unit type, the prevalence of pressure ulcers, and rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia and catheter-related bloodstream infections in 25 intensive care units (ICUs) in 8 hospitals. Data came from the American Hospital Association survey, and nursing and infection control databases. Multiple regression was the main statistical technique. Pressure ulcer prevalence and catheter-related bloodstream infection rates were higher in large hospitals; ventilator-associated pneumonia rates were higher in surgical ICUs. Future researchers should include factors often hidden within hospital and unit characteristics to expose possible relationships that may be incorporated into interventions to prevent adverse outcomes.