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Children in adult intensive therapy units
Insights
Approximately 10% of general hospital patients needing intensive therapy unit (ITU) care are children. Selected pediatric patients benefit from ITU care, with no observed adverse psychological effects on families.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric critical care
- Hospital management
Background:
- Intensive therapy units (ITUs) provide critical care for severely ill patients.
- Pediatric admissions to ITUs represent a significant patient demographic, estimated at 9-10% in a general hospital setting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the characteristics and outcomes of pediatric patients admitted to an intensive therapy unit.
- To assess the psychological impact of ITU admission on children and their families.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 59 pediatric admissions to Northampton General Hospital's ITU from May 1967 to August 1969.
- Interviews with 30 families regarding their child's ITU experience.
Main Results:
- Road traffic accidents were the leading cause of admission (22 cases), followed by surgical emergencies, meningitis, status epilepticus, and respiratory infections.
- All interviewed families favored their child's ITU admission, reporting no lasting adverse psychological effects.
Conclusions:
- Carefully selected pediatric patients can benefit from intensive therapy unit facilities.
- ITU design, equipment, and staffing should consider the specific needs of pediatric patients.
Abstract:
From experience in the Northampton/Kettering area 9 to 10% of all patients in a general hospital requiring care in an intensive therapy unit were aged 12 years or under. Fifty-nine children were admitted to the intensive therapy unit of Northampton General Hospital between May 1967 and August 1969. Of these, 22 had been injured in road traffic accidents, five were surgical emergencies, five had meningitis, four status epilepticus, and four respiratory infections.All of the 30 families interviewed were in favour of their child being admitted to the unit, and none considered that the experience had had any lasting adverse psychological effect on the child. It is suggested that certain carefully selected child patients do benefit from the facilities of an intensive therapy unit, and for this reason such units must be designed, equipped, and staffed with this in mind.