J Pediatr Intensive Care 2022; 11(04): 275-281
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1724098
Original Article

Pediatric Chronic Critical Illness, Prolonged ICU Admissions, and Clinician Distress

1   Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
,
2   Department of Pediatrics, Berman Institute of Bioethics, School of Nursing, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
,
Brian M. Wise
3   Department of Nursing, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
,
Aka Moore
4   Department of Nursing, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
,
Renee D. Boss
5   Division of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
› Author Affiliations

Abstract

To gain an in-depth understanding of the experience of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) clinicians caring for children with chronic critical illness (CCI), we conducted, audiotaped, and transcribed in-person interviews with PICU clinicians. We used purposive sampling to identify five PICU patients who died following long admissions, whose care generated substantial staff distress. We recruited four to six interdisciplinary clinicians per patient who had frequent clinical interactions with the patient/family for interviews. Conventional content analysis was applied to the transcripts resulting in the emergence of five themes: nonbeneficial treatment; who is driving care? Elusive goals of care, compromised personhood, and suffering. Interventions directed at increasing consensus, clarifying goals of care, developing systems allowing children with CCI to be cared for outside of the ICU, and improving communication may help to ameliorate this distress.



Publication History

Received: 24 November 2020

Accepted: 12 January 2021

Article published online:
24 February 2021

© 2021. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 
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