Nazorg Intensive Care Opname (NICO): Gestructureerde follow-up van fysieke en psychische gevolgen

An admission to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is a stressful event, and is associated with both psychological and physical consequences. From December 2002 through October 2005 we did a follow-up study in the Emma children's hospital. A total of 250 children were eligible for this study. Three months after discharge from the PICU, families were evaluated at the out-patient clinic by an intensivist and a psychologist by history taking, physical examination and questionnaires. In 61.2% of 116 children physical sequelae were seen after three months; 15.0% of the mothers (n = 140), 9.3% of the fathers (n = 107) and 11.1% of the children older than 8 years (n = 27) had a post-traumatic stress disorder after three months. These results underline the importance of systematic follow-up research in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.