Intensive & critical care nursing : the official journal of the British Association of Critical Care Nurses
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Feb 1997
ReviewCritically ill children: the case for short-term care in general intensive care units.
This paper contests the claim that all children should be nursed in paediatric intensive care units (PICUs). Although there is an undoubted need for prolonged care to be undertaken within PICUs, they are a scarce resource and many children's critical illness is of short duration. Following a discussion on the negative aspects of transferring a critically ill child this paper then establishes how a general intensive care unit (GICU) can maintain-awareness and standards which make it a safe environment for children with a short-term critical illness, as well as contribute towards future management and practice.