Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and community
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J Child Health Care · Jun 2009
ReviewPsychological outcomes in children following pediatric intensive care unit hospitalization: a systematic review of the research.
A systematic review of published research on children's psychological outcomes following Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) hospitalization was conducted. Of the 275 papers published between 1970 and April 2008 which were identified using keywords, reference lists and one author's collections, a total of 28 papers met the inclusion criteria for this review. ⋯ While a small number of studies have attempted to identify predictors of psychological outcome, this work remains in its infancy. The importance of the child's interpretation of the illness experience in influencing subsequent behavioral and emotional responses is highlighted.