The Paediatric Intensive Care Audit Network (PICANet) has released a paediatric critical care summary report, based on data collected between January 2022 and December 2024. The report describes key metrics and outcomes related to transport and admission events in order to monitor the delivery and quality of care against agreed standards, and evaluate clinical outcomes, to inform national policy in paediatric critical care.
It found that the most common primary diagnosis group, and reason for admission, continues to be respiratory conditions – accounting for 29.9% of all admissions across the 2022-2024 reporting period. However, this percentage has declined over time, falling to 28.5% in 2024, from 30.9% in 2022 and 30.2% in 2023. It also found that the percentage of admissions for cardiovascular conditions increased from 24.5% in 2022 to 27.4% in 2024.
Importantly, three national recommendations that highlight the evolving landscape of paediatric critical care – shifting from treating children with acute, short-term sickness to supporting a growing number living with lifelong conditions – are also included:
- Develop a clear and measurable definition of children with medical complexity that can be consistently identified using routine data sources
- Review the place of death for children who die in PICU to assess whether it was the most appropriate setting for the child and their family/carers
- Continue to monitor reasons for admission to PICU and assess how changes to the respiratory syncytial virus vaccination programme affect paediatric critical care services.
Read the full report: You can view the report by clicking the button below.
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