Are children really different from adults in critical care settings?

Coetzee, Minette

Are children really different from adults in critical care settings?

Journal Article

2005

Journal Title

Southern African Journal of Critical Care

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Faculty

Faculty of Health Sciences

Abstract

Four years ago a Nursing Standards Generating Body (SGB) was established to gather wide input and formulate national educational standards for nursing. Possibly for the first time in South Africa this process offered a platform to consider how paediatric critical care is different from adult critical care. During the course of the 3-year SGB process, the Critical Care Society of South Africa (CCSSA) coordinated an exceptional response after having garnered wide participation from South African critical care nurses, educators and clinicians. It was an excellent opportunity to contribute to the issues around the nature and length of education programmes as well as the outcomes. The recommendations were thoroughly debated and offered a unique opportunity to influence policy and standards of critical care nursing education. This debate could also challenge assumptions, and it was in this process that the often misunderstood question of the differences between adult and child critical care could be tackled.