What's in this issue : volume 25 : issue 3

Abstract

This issue of the journal sees more of a paediatric focus, with a guest editorial and two research papers focussing on different issues related to paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) nursing. In some countries, paediatric and adult intensive care unit (ICU) colleagues are more aligned and meet regularly at scientific joint meetings, whereas in others, they are almost entirely separate. Moreover, in some countries, children and adults are still managed in the same unit. There is no perfect model, and skills-wise intensive care is intensive care, whether it is delivered to a 4-week-old infant, a 15-year-old child, or a 60-year-old adult. However, this does not mean that there should be generic ICU education programmes for nurses as, although the skills may be similar, the application of these skills differs for children of different ages, as does the pathology of the patients.3 However, as a nursing workforce, we (both paediatric and adult ICU) are all highly trained and skilled, and many of these skills are transferable. At this moment in time, with a pandemic of COVID-19, this issue has never been more important. PICU nurses must, where possible, step up and assist adult ICU colleagues as they would assist PICU colleagues if COVID-19 predominantly affected children.