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Characterizing Team Structure in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Miriam C Shapiro1,2, Priti P Shah3, Dori A Cross4
1Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Hospital Pediatrics
|June 3, 2026
Summary
Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) teams are dynamic, with members constantly changing. Understanding the structure and function of these complex care teams is vital for improving patient care, especially for long-stay patients (LSP).
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Intensive Care
- Healthcare Management
- Sociometry
Background:
- Complex and fluctuating care teams in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) hinder optimal patient care, particularly for long-stay patients (LSP).
- Understanding the structure and function of PICU care teams is crucial for addressing these challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To empirically define the dynamic composition of PICU care teams for both LSP and non-LSP.
- To analyze the differences in team composition and structure between long-stay and short-stay patients in the PICU.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective chart review of patients aged 0-21 years admitted to medical/surgical and cardiovascular PICUs.
- Patients categorized into long-stay (LOS > 7 days) and short-stay (LOS ≤ 7 days) groups.
- Sociometric network models used to visualize team composition and structure over time.
Main Results:
- 35 patients included: 20 long-stay and 15 short-stay.
- Sociometric network models visualized the complexity and dynamic nature of PICU team composition.
- Analysis focused on the number and specialty composition of teams for different patient groups.
Conclusions:
- PICU teams are highly dynamic, with constantly changing members.
- Effective transmission of accurate and timely information is critical for complex patient care.
- Studying the structure and processes of dynamic PICU teams is essential for improving patient outcomes.
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