Prevalence and Readmission Rates of Discharge Directly Home From the PICU: A Systematic Review.

Objectives: Critically ill patients are increasingly being discharged directly home from PICU as opposed to discharged home, via the ward. The objective was to assess the prevalence, safety, and satisfaction of discharge directly home from PICUs.

Data Sources: We searched PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL for studies published between January 1991 and June 2021.

Study Selection: We included observational or randomized studies, of children up to 18 years old, that reported on the prevalence, safety, or satisfaction of discharge directly home from the PICU, compared with the ward. Safety outcomes included readmission, unplanned visits to hospital, and any adverse events. We excluded case series, reviews, and studies discharging patients to other facilities.

Data Extraction: Two independent reviewers evaluated 88 full-text articles; five studies met eligibility (362,868 patients). Only one study had discharge directly home as a primary outcome.

Data Synthesis: Prevalence of discharge directly to home from the PICU ranged from less than 1% to 23% (random effects proportion 7.7 [95% CI, 1.3-18.6]). Readmissions to the PICU (only safety outcome) were significantly lower in the discharge directly home group compared with the ward group, in two of three studies (p < 0.0001). No studies reported on patient or family satisfaction.

Conclusions: The prevalence of discharge directly home from the PICU ranges from 1% to 23%. PICU readmission rates do not appear to increase after discharge directly home. Caution is needed in the interpretation of the results, given the significant heterogeneity of the included studies. Further high-quality studies are needed to evaluate the safety of discharge directly home from the PICU and support families in this transition.