One in four intensive care patients ends up back in hospital ward

● Number of factors contributing to hospital readmissions say researchers

A quarter of intensive care patients are readmitted to hospital shortly after returning home with “medically avoidable” factors involved in half of these cases, according to a new study.

High levels of carer stress, difficulty understanding health and social care packages and psychological trauma all contribute to high rates of return, the findings show.

Pinpointing the reasons for unplanned readmissions is key to developing care packages that support patients at home and could save vital funds, researchers say. The study refers to patients who have had stays in intensive care units (ICU) – specialised wards that look after people who are extremely ill and need close monitoring, including patients with sepsis, and those recovering from heart attack.

Findings from more than 55,000 anonymised records from ICU patients in Scotland showed that one in four patients experienced unplanned readmissions within three months of leaving hospital. Researchers led by the University of Edinburgh interviewed 58 ICU patient volunteers and unpaid carers about their wellbeing, care services and other issues that they felt contributed to their return to hospital. Findings showed that in some cases, readmission was medically unavoidable and linked to