ICU telemedicine intervention decreased mortality, hospital LOS

Implementing a telemedicine intervention resulted in lower hospital and intensive care unit mortality, lower rates of preventable complications and shorter hospital and intensive care unit lengths of stay, according to data from a clinical practice study. "Several studies have highlighted low levels of acceptance of the tele-ICU intervention, but few studies have identified the care processes or ICU structural elements that were part of the intervention; these issues have limited the ability to compare studies and identify processes associated with improved outcomes," the researchers wrote. Craig M. Lilly, MD, and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center conducted a prospective, unblinded, stepped-wedge study from April 2005 to September 2007 to determine whether a tele-ICU intervention was associated with a risk for hospital death or length of stay, and the relationship of best practice adherences and preventable complications.