Psychological Aspects of Care of the Critically Ill Child

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Intensive Care Medicine
• Child Psychology
• Pediatric Critical Care

Background:

• Improved survival rates in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) shift focus to patient morbidity.
• Children in PICUs experience significant physical and psychological distress.
• Growing body of literature addresses psychological symptoms following pediatric intensive care.

Purpose of the Study:

• Provide guidance on acute psychological management for children during and after intensive care.
• Synthesize current knowledge on children's PICU experiences and psychological outcomes.
• Consider relevance of adult intensive care psychological management and delirium research to pediatric settings.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of pediatric and adult intensive care psychological management.
• Analysis of current research on children's experiences and psychological symptoms post-PICU.
• Consideration of delirium research and parent proxy reporting.

Main Results:

• Children's intensive care experiences can lead to subsequent psychological symptoms.
• Delirium and psychological distress are significant concerns in pediatric intensive care.
• Distinguishing between child self-report and parent proxy report is crucial for accurate assessment.

Conclusions:

• Acute psychological management is essential for pediatric intensive care patients.
• Further research is needed to understand and address children's psychological needs post-PICU.
• Strategies to improve children's understanding of their intensive care experience are beneficial.