Characteristics of pediatric intermediate care units in pediatric training programs

To assess effective alternate care sites for the technology-dependent, but less acute critically ill child, we surveyed pediatric training programs to determine the availability and characteristics of non-neonatal pediatric intermediate care units.

A questionnaire was mailed to the program directors of all 226 United States pediatric residency programs in October 1988. Institutions were queried about pediatric residency program and hospital demographics, along with specific day-to-day management issues in an intermediate care unit.

The intermediate care unit offers highly skilled nursing care with greater than 90% of the units primarily covered by RNs in a 1:2 or 1:3 RN/patient ratio. The technologies used in these units were similar to those technologies used in an ICU, and the average daily bed charge was 40% less than the average daily bed charge in an ICU. However, an intermediate care unit was present in only 33% of pediatric training programs and pediatric residents were not specifically trained to care for patients in these units; 37% of these units did not have daily attending physician/nurse/resident rounds, despite the complexity and degree of illness in the patients located in these units. In addition, greater than 20% of intermediate care units were predominantly staffed by RNs with degrees less than BSN. Thirteen percent of these units had a predominance of RNs with only routine experience.

Standard levels of care and academic and financial guidelines should be established to optimize the value of pediatric intermediate care units.