title: Care of children and families in the CICU: A focus on their developmental, psychosocial, and spiritual needs.
abstract: The staff of Patient and Family Support Services oversees the developmental, psychosocial, and spiritual care of the child in the cardiac intensive care unit. Staff collaborate with medical team members, as well as the patient's family, to promote holistic care. This article describes the roles and responsibilities of the child life specialist, the social worker, and the chaplain and identifies discipline-specific assessment techniques and interventions. The article highlights identified needs of children and their families, offering tools and interventions health care clinicians can use in the cardiac intensive care unit.
authors.affiliation: Patient and Family Support Services, Sibley Heart Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Priti P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Desai
authors.forename: Jodie B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Susan G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Bryant
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002673:Child, Hospitalized / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003325:Coronary Care Units; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology; D017283:Neonatal Nursing; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D010327:Pastoral Care; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012944:Social Support; D012947:Social Work; D029181:Spirituality