Why the study?
Discharge directly home from the PICU is increasingly described, but its prevalence and predictors are not known.
Population
612,471 admissions of hospitalized children younger than 18 years across 142 North American PICUs
Comparison
Discharge directly home vs discharge after transfer to the acute care ward
Design
Multicenter cohort study
Key result
Discharge directly home from the PICU occurred in 23.1% of admissions, with prior home discharge, acute surgical admissions, and complex chronic conditions being significant predictors.
Authors
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Supports consideration of direct home discharge pathways in select PICU patients; leaves open questions on safety and center-level outcomes.
Cohort (n=612,471)
Yes
Absolute Event Rate: 23.1% vs 76.9%
About one in four children are discharged directly home after a PICU admission, with significant variability between centers and higher likelihood among those with acute surgical admissions or complex chronic conditions.
Dervan et al. (2025) conducted a cohort in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) admission (n=612,471). Discharge directly home from the PICU vs. Discharge to acute care ward was evaluated on Discharge directly home from the PICU. Discharge directly home from the PICU occurred in 23.1% of admissions, with prior home discharge, acute surgical admissions, and complex chronic conditions being significant predictors.
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