P0166 / #753: FACTORS RELATED TO TIMELINESS OF ACCESS TO PAEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE –PARENT AND STAFF PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

Aims & Objectives: Specialist paediatric intensive care retrieval teams (PICRTs) were established to transfer critically ill children to regional paediatric intensive care units (PICUs). There is national variation in how services are delivered and our study aimed to explore the impact of these differences on factors including timeliness through describing the experiences of different service stakeholders Methods: Fifty clinicians were invited to participate in interviews from PICUs, PICRTs and general district hospitals using purposive sampling to ensure diversity of clinical role and place of work. Thirty parents were recruited while in PICU and purposively sampled for diversity in: age, presenting medical illness, whether a parent travelled with the child to PICU and PICRT used. Interviews were either face-to-face or over the phone. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. A qualitative approach using Framework Analysis in NVIVO was used to identify themes related to experiences of the transfer and factors which influenced this experience. Results: Factors that influenced timeliness of access to PICU included: communication between the teams involved in the care (referring hospital, PICRTs and PICU); patients’ readiness for transfer (preparation and planning); confidence and competence of staff at each location; patient-related factors (e.g. how sick the child was); seasonal aspects (e.g. winter pressures); service resources and the geographical location of each service. Conclusions: Understanding factors that influence timeliness of access to PICU, from the perspective of those who use or deliver the service, provides valuable insight about the delivery of effective transport services. Acknowledgement: this study was funded by the NIHR HS&DR.