Pediatr Crit Care Me
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Aug 2018
Neurologic Outcomes After Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Systematic Review.
The goal of this systematic review of the literature was to summarize neurologic outcomes following neonatal and pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. ⋯ This systematic review of the literature suggests that children who have undergone extracorporeal membrane oxygenation suffer from a wide range of disabilities. A meta-analysis was not feasible due to heterogeneity in pathologies, outcome measures, and age at follow-up, underscoring the importance of developing and employing a core set of outcomes measures in future extracorporeal membrane oxygenation studies.
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To describe the health outcomes of bereaved parents and identify practical strategies for critical care providers as they support and provide anticipatory guidance to bereaved parents. ⋯ The death of a child is a traumatic experience that can put parents at risk for adverse mental and physical health during bereavement. Health professionals working in PICUs can benefit from knowing these risks to best support bereaved parents, both during their child's hospitalization and in the early postdeath period. The bereavement experience of parents is an adaptive process, and ongoing professional support may be required for vulnerable families. After the child's hospitalization and death, a bereavement follow-up meeting with PICU physician(s) and staff may allow parents to gain additional information, emotional support, and provide an opportunity for parents to give feedback on their experiences.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Aug 2018
ReviewCare for Dying Children and Their Families in the PICU: Promoting Clinician Education, Support, and Resilience.
To describe the consequences of workplace stressors on healthcare clinicians in PICU, and strategies for personal well-being, and professional effectiveness in providing high-quality end-of-life care. ⋯ The well-being of healthcare clinicians in the PICU influences the day-to-day quality and effectiveness of patient care, team functioning, and the retention of skilled individuals in the PICU workforce. End-of-life care, including decision making, can be complicated. Both are major stressors for PICU staff that can lead to adverse personal and professional consequences. Overresponsiveness to routine stressors may be seen in those with moral distress, and underresponsiveness may be seen in those with compassion fatigue or burnout. Ideally, all healthcare professionals in PICU can rise to the day-to-day workplace challenges-responding in an adaptive, effective manner. Strategies to proactively increase resilience and well-being include self-awareness, self-care, situational awareness, and education to increase confidence and skills for providing end-of-life care. Reactive strategies include case conferences, prebriefings in ongoing preidentified situations, debriefings, and other postevent meetings. Nurturing a culture of practice that acknowledges the emotional impacts of pediatric critical care work and celebrates the shared experiences of families and clinicians to build resilient, effective, and professionally fulfilled healthcare professionals thus enabling the provision of high-quality end-of-life care for children and their families.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Aug 2018
ReviewLogistics of Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Therapies in PICU.
To describe practical considerations and approaches to best practices for end-of-life care for critically ill children and families in the PICU. ⋯ Consequences of childhood death in the PICU extend beyond the events of dying and death. In the context of withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies, achieving a quality death is impactful both in the immediate and in the longer term for family and for the team. An individualized approach to withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies that is informed by empiric and practical knowledge will ensure best care of the child and support the emotional well-being of child, family, and the team. Adherence to the principles of holistic and compassionate end-of-life care and an ongoing commitment to provide the best possible experience for withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies can achieve optimal end-of-life care in the most challenging of circumstances.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Aug 2018
Multicenter StudyAbility to Assent in Pediatric Critical Care Research: A Prospective Environmental Scan of Two Canadian PICUs.
To determine the number of patients considered not appropriate to approach for assent within the first 24 hours of PICU admission. ⋯ Very few patients were considered approachable for assent during the first 24 hours of PICU admission. Those who were considered appropriate to approach were less ill, spent less time in PICU, and were unlikely to be considered for enrollment in pediatric critical care research.