title: Critically ill children: the case for short-term care in general intensive care units.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Nurse Specialist IUC, Kettering General NHS Trust, Northamptonshire, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bennett
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002673:Child, Hospitalized / Q000523:psychology; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D006801:Humans; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007902:Length of Stay; D010360:Patient Transfer; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration*