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Evaluating the Feasibility and Efficacy of a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Diary
Shu-Heng Wang1, Tonie Owens, Abigail Johnson
1School of Nursing (Dr Wang), Health Behavior and Biological Sciences (Dr Duffy), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Nursing, C. S. Mott Children's Hospital (Ms Owens), and Division of Rehabilitation Psychology/Neuropsychology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Dr Johnson), Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor.
Insights
A pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) diary, authored by family members, can help alleviate psychological distress for critically ill children and their families. This study found the PICU diary feasible and beneficial for parents during hospitalization.
Area of Science:
- Critical Care Medicine
- Pediatric Health
- Quality Improvement Projects
Background:
- Improved survival in critical care leads to focus on long-term health outcomes.
- Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) and PICS-Family (PICS-F) describe sequelae in patients and families after intensive care.
- Family-authored ICU diaries may reduce psychological distress for patients and families.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and implement a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) diary.
- To evaluate the feasibility and potential efficacy of the PICU diary.
- To measure parental acceptance and satisfaction with the PICU diary.
Main Methods:
- Quality improvement project in a pediatric critical care setting.
- Seventeen families of critically ill children received PICU diaries.
- Parental feedback collected through weekly follow-ups and diary evaluations.
Main Results:
- The PICU diary intervention was implemented among 17 families.
- Twenty-four parents participated in weekly follow-ups.
- Fifteen parents completed diary evaluations, indicating feasibility and benefit.
Conclusions:
- The use of PICU diaries is feasible in the pediatric critical care setting.
- Families of critically ill children found the PICU diary beneficial.
- PICU diaries show potential for mitigating psychological distress in PICS-F.
Abstract:
As the progress of critical care medicine has improved the survival rate of critically ill patients, comorbidities and long-term health care have attracted people's attention. The terms "post-intensive care syndrome" (PICS) and "PICS-family" (PICS-F) have been used in non-neurocritical care populations, which are characterized by the cognitive, psychiatric, and physical sequelae associated with intensive care hospitalization of survivors and their families. An intensive care unit (ICU) diary authored by the patient's family members may alleviate the psychological distress of the patient and his or her family. This quality improvement project focused on the development and implementation of the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) diary in the pediatric critical care setting. The project aims to evaluate the feasibility and the potential efficacy of the PICU diary, measured through parental acceptance and satisfaction. Seventeen families of critically ill children admitted to the PICU received the PICU diary during the implementation period. Twenty-four parents completed the weekly follow-up, and 15 subsequently completed the diary entry evaluation. The use of the diary in the PICU setting is feasible and considered beneficial by families of critically ill children.
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