Trends in hospital and ICU admissions over the past 25 years

What is it about?

Healthcare systems around the world are facing increased stress. However, there is a lack of granular data regarding changes in an individual's risk of presenting to hospital or requiring mechanical ventilation over time. We have used population-based data to examine the rates of emergency department (ED) presentation, hospital admission, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and receipt of mechanical ventilation over the past 25 years.

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Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Our paper demonstrates two key findings. First, our results suggest that at the individual level, the likelihood of being admitted to hospital has decreased over the past 25 years, whereas the likelihood of presenting to the ED or receiving mechanical ventilation has increased. Furthermore, at the population-level, the total number of people presenting to the ED, admitted to the ICU, and receiving mechanical ventilation has increased, while the number of people admitted to hospital has remained static. These findings are important as they suggest that despite an increased focus on providing care in outpatient settings, as the population increases and ages, there remains a growing need for acute care resources.