Modelling the allocation of paediatric intensive care retrieval teams in England and Wales

Madeline King,Padmanabhan Ramnarayan,Sarah E Seaton,Christina Pagel

doi:10.1136/archdischild-2018-316056

Abstract

BackgroundFollowing centralisation of UK paediatric intensive care units in 1997, specialist paediatric intensive care retrieval teams (PICRTs) were established to transport critically ill children from district general hospitals (DGHs). The...

Highlights

Paediatric intensive care (PIC) services were centralised in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1997 [1]
PIC retrieval teams (PICRTs) act as mobile intensive care teams: travelling to district general hospitals (DGHs) and commencing intensive care, ensuring that specialist expertise is not delayed until arrival at the paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) [2]
We explored scenarios where all PICUs could act as potential hosts for PICRTs and as potential resource hubs

Summary

Introduction

Paediatric intensive care (PIC) services were centralised in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1997 [1]. Arrival at the patient’s bedside is a key performance indicator for PICRTs and forms the basis of a current national quality standard which specifies that PICRTs should reach the patient bedside within 3 hours of accepting a referral [5]. Data from the Paediatric Intensive Care Audit Network (PICANet) reveal that this standard is not always met by PICRTs [6], reflecting differences in mobilisation time (time from referral acceptance to departing the base) and/or journey time to the referring DGHs. As part of an ongoing national research study called DEPICT [7], we are assessing the impact that time taken by a PICRT to reach patient bedside has on clinical outcomes and patient experience in critically ill transported children. Following centralisation of paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in 1997, specialist PIC retrieval teams (PICRTs) were established to transport critically ill children from district general hospitals (DGHs). National quality standards specify that PICRTs should reach the patient bedside within 3 hours of accepting a referral

Methods

Results

Conclusion