Are Intensivists Needed at Night in the ICU?

During the past decade, nighttime intensivist staffing has been implemented in a growing number of intensive care units (ICUs). To assess the effects of nighttime intensivist coverage on patient outcomes, investigators at the University of Pennsylvania conducted a 1-year randomized study in which intensivist coverage between 7:00 PM and 7:00 AM was provided in 1-week blocks either by dedicated nighttime intensivists (intervention periods) or through phone or beeper coverage by daytime intensivists and fellows (control periods).

Analysis involved 1598 patients, 61% of whom were admitted to the ICU at night. ICU length of stay, hospital length of stay, ICU and hospital mortality, and readmission to the ICU did not differ between patients admit…