About Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)
We hope this booklet can provide answers to some of the questions you may have during your stay in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). We understand this is an unfamiliar environment for you and that there may be questions you would Iike to ask. Please feel free to talk to our friendly doctors or nurses if you have any questions or concerns.
PICU is a special ward in the hospital that provides critically ill children with comprehensive care and treatment.
PICU is a special ward in the hospital. In addition to the intensive care given by doctors and nurses in here, medical equipment will also be used to assist you in the recovery process.
You require intensive care here in PICU because doctors and nurses need to closely monitor your health condition. You were either transferred from a different ward in this hospital, or from another hospital. You will be able to leave PICU once your health condition becomes stable.
The length of PICU stay depends on your health condition, it can range from a few hours to several months, usually no more than a week in most cases.
You will meet a lot of people in PICU. Let's get to know the medical team that will be taking care of you. Doctor, nurse, physiotherapist, dietitian, occupational therapist, speech therapist, pharmacist, social worker, clinical psychologist, radiographer.
After arriving at PICU, doctors and nurses need some time to settle you down and stabilise your condition. Therefore, the medical team will usually invite your parents to wait outside the ward.
They may attach some devices to your body. There is nothing to worry about, as these devices and medical equipment are used to monitor your health condition.
The medical team will I deliver the appropriate treatment according to your condition. Sometimes they would give you medication to relieve pain or discomfort, and these medications can make you feel sleepy and drowsy.
Your room can be noisy at times due to the noises caused by the machines and monitors at the bedside. You may often hear beeps and other sounds as the devices attached on your body are monitoring your physical condition. These sounds are completely normal but feel free to ask our medical team if you have any concerns or questions. Please do not touch the surrounding machines and monitors, they include:
Different tubes serve different purposes. It depends on where they are placed in your body.
In order to make a diagnosis and determine the necessary treatment, doctors need to assess your overall health condition more accurately by performing the following tests.
During this period in PICU, it is normal if you experience strong emotions that go up and down over time. Sometimes, you may feel sad, worried, overwhelmed, angry, and at other times you may feel calm. These emotions can even happen all at the same time.
Having emotions is a natural part of being human, other children in PICU often experience similar feelings. If you would like, you may share how you are feeling at this moment, either in your own words or from the list below:
Drawing or scribbling is a great way to express your emotions and feelings. Feel free to draw anything that is in your mind.
PICU is a continuously busy place, operating 24 hours a day and a lot of things happen here.
You can record your personal experience by writing your own diary, for example what you have done each day, what the doctors have done for you, whom you have had conversation with, or who came to visit you etc.
Date:
Events:
My feelings and thoughts:
Well done on the achievement of leaving PICU, which is the beginning of your journey to recovery and you are one step closer to full recovery! Before hospital discharge, you are usually transferred to another ward for further observation.
Most children are able to make a full recovery after being discharged from the hospital, but some children still require continued rehabilitation. Doctors and allied health professionals may ask you to come back regularly for appointments, following up on your recovery process and providing up-to-date treatment.
If you have been away from school for an extended period of time due to hospitalisation, our allied health team can also support you in the reintegration back into school life.
It is normal if you are not able to recall everything that has happened to you in PICU.
You may have had a lot of dreams and experienced hallucinations, which could make you feel annoyed and confused. This is a common experience for children who are on the recovery journey, as such experiences may be caused by medicines or the disease itself. You may feel scared and worried, but do not be afraid or embarrassed by your experience, and feel free to share with our medical team or people you trust.
You may need some time to adjust and settle back into life outside hospital. As the day of hospital discharge is approaching, it is normal to feel overwhelmed at this point.
It may not be easy to talk about the PICU experience with family and friends. Putting your feelings and thoughts down in words can be very helpful. Writing is a great way of expressing yourself, so feel free to share your PICU experience by writing a letter to your best friend!
Labour and Welfare Bureau
Dr Karen Ka Yan Leung
Associate Consultant, Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Hong Kong Children's Hospital
Dr Ellis Kam Lun Hon
Honorary Consultant, Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Hong Kong Children's Hospital
Ms Kelly Lee Yan Tung
Medical student, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Ms Stephanie Tsang
Medical student, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
All staff and patients of the Hong Kong Children's Hospital Intensive Care Unit
February 2023