Patients moved out of intensive care Units at night are more likely to die than those who leave during the day, a study of hospitals has found.
The study of hospitals in Australia and New Zealand was carried out at Monash University in Melbourne.
It found people discharged from ICU between 6pm and 6am have a 77 percent higher risk of dying than those moved during the day.
Research leader Dashiell Gantner said there was no distinct cause, but a clear link.
"What we have discovered is that there are several hundred extra people per year who have died after being discharged after hours than we would have expected to die had they been discharged in hours."
However Dr Gantner says overall there has been great progress with mortality rates for intensive care units, and the figures for Australia and New Zealand are very low internationally.
Canterbury District Health Board clinical director Seton Henderson said hospitals need to increase capacity after hours, but it was difficult to predict what is needed to deal with surges in demand.
