Prospective evaluation of patients refused admission to an intensive care unit: triage, futility and outcome

Objectives: To evaluate factors associated with decisions to refuse ICU adm ission and to assess the outcome of refused patients. Design and setting. Prospective, descriptive evaluation in a multi-discipli nary intensive care unit, university referral hospital. Patients and participants: All adult emergency referrals over a 7-month per iod. Interventions: The number of beds available at the time of referral, the pa tient's age, gender, diagnosis, mortality probability model score and hospi tal survival were documented. The outcome of the referral and the reason fo r refusal were recorded. Measurements and results: Of 624 patients 388 were admitted and 236 (38 %) refused. Reasons for refusal were triage (n = 104), futility (n = 82) and i nappropriate referral (too well; n = 50). The standardised mortality ratio (SMR) for refused and admitted groups was 1.24 (95 % CI 1.05-1.46) and 0.93 (0.78-1.09) respectively. The SMR ratio (refused SMR/admitted SMR) was hig hest in the middle range of illness (1.95, 1.19-3.20). Inappropriate referr als had a better than expected outcome despite refusal, with a SMR ratio of 0.39 (0.11-0.99). Excluding inappropriate referrals, multivariate analysis demonstrated that refusal was associated with older age, diagnostic group and severity of illness. Triage decisions were associated with a diagnosis of sepsis, and futility decisions with greater severity of illness and rece nt cardiac arrest. Conclusions: Refusal of admission to our ICU is common. Excess mortality of patients refused is most marked in the middle range of severity of illness . Age, diagnostic group, and severity of illness are important in decision making. Strategies should be developed to create admission criteria that wo uld identify patients in the middle range of severity of illness who should benefit most from ICU care.