Recollections of Indian children after discharge from an intensive care unit.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the recollections of children following discharge from the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).


METHODS
Prospective interview-based study.


METHODS
Multidisciplinary 111-bed general pediatric wards in a tertiary care hospital situated in Mumbai, India.


METHODS
Fifty children aged between five and 12 yrs.


METHODS
None.


RESULTS
Children's responses to a semistructured interview were documented between the first and fifth day after their transfer and interpreted by content analysis. Thirty-seven children (74%) had neutral recollections, nine (18%) had negative recollections, and eight (16%) had positive recollections of their PICU stay. Twenty-six children (52%) stated clean environment and 18 (36%) stated doctors as good features, whereas 25 (50%) stated injections as bad features of the PICU. Thirty-two children (64%) remembered feeling scared, 37 (74%) being in pain, seven (14%) being thirsty, eight (16%) being hungry, and nine (18%) having disturbed sleep. Thirteen children (26%) appreciated the nurses and 33 (66%) the doctors for a good deed done by them. Fourteen children (28%) wanted changes to make the PICU stay comfortable.


CONCLUSIONS
More toys, proactive measures to prevent intravenous catheter phlebitis, sedation to provide amnesia and good sleep, and adequate analgesia for various painful procedures are necessary for children in the PICU. Doctors and nurses should introduce themselves to patients and ensure that children are comfortable in bed and do not witness procedures being done on other children or a dead body.
Karande
Sunil
S
Department of Pediatrics, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College & General Hospital, Sion, Mumbai (Bombay), India. karandesunil@yahoo.com
Kelkar
Ashish
A
Kulkarni
Madhuri
M
D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003422:Critical Care / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010351:Patient Discharge; D011446:Prospective Studies