The relationship between labour cost per patient and the size of intensive care units: a multicentre prospective study.
OBJECTIVE
We examined the relationship between major ICU characteristics and labour cost per patient.


METHODS
Four-week prospective data collection, in which the hours spent by each physician and nurse on both in-ICU and extra-ICU activities were collected.


METHODS
Eighty Italian adult ICUs.


RESULTS
The cost of the time actually spent by ICU staff on ICU patients (labour cost) was computed for each participating unit, by applying to the average annual salaries the proportions of in-ICU activity working time for physicians and nurses. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify ICU characteristics that predict labour costs per patient. Labour cost per patient was positively correlated with ICU mortality and patients average length of stay (slopes =0.67, p =0.048 and 0.09, p <0.0001, respectively). Labour cost per patient decreases almost linearly as the number of beds increases up to about eight, and it remains nearly constant above about twelve beds. The number of patients admitted per physician (not per nurse) increases with the number of beds (Spearman correlation coefficient =0.567, p <0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that ICUs with less than about 12 beds are not cost-effective.
GiViTI Coordinating Center, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Centro di Ricerche Cliniche per le Malattie Rare Aldo e Cele Daccò, 24020 , Ranica , (Bergamo), Italy. bertolini@marionegri.it.
Guido
G
Bertolini
GiViTI Coordinating Center, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Centro di Ricerche Cliniche per le Malattie Rare Aldo e Cele Daccò, 24020 , Ranica , (Bergamo), Italy.
Carlotta
C
Rossi
Istituto di Anestesia e Rianimazione, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
Luca
L
Brazzi
I Servizio di Anestesia e Rianimazione, Ospedale Civile di Legnano, Legnano , (Milan), Italy.
Danilo
D
Radrizzani
I Servizio di Anestesia e Rianimazione, Spedali Riuniti, Livorno, Italy.
Giancarlo
G
Rossi
Istituto di Economia Sanitaria, Milan, Italy.
Enrico
E
Arrighi
Servizio di Anestesia e Rianimazione, Ospedale Generale Provinciale, Lucca, Italy.
Bruno
B
Simini
D003422:Critical Care / Q000191:economics*; D003625:Data Collection; D006742:Hospital Bed Capacity / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000191:economics*; D007558:Italy; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000191:economics; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000191:economics