Characteristics | Total PICUs n = 215 | PICUs ≤ 450 admissions/year n = 117 | PICUs > 450 admissions/year n = 98 | p value |
---|---|---|---|---|
Type of PICU | ||||
 Pediatric ICU | 158 (74) | 77 (66) | 81 (83) | 0.003 |
 Mixed neonatal and pediatric ICU | 48 (22) | 27 (31) | 17 (17) | |
 Mixed adult and pediatric ICU | 9 (4) | 9 (8) | 0 (0) | |
PICU in a teaching/academic hospital | 196 (91) | 111 (95) | 85 (87) | 0.036 |
PICU admitting post-cardiac surgery | 69 (32) | 27 (23) | 42 (43) | 0.002 |
PICU providing palliative care/terminal sedation | 182 (85) | 101 (87) | 81 (83) | 0.457 |
PICUs dimensions | ||||
 Maximum bed capacity, min–max | 9 (7–16), 2–35 | 8 (6–10), 2–27 | 14 (9–18), 6–35 | – |
 Number of admissions per year, min–max | 450 (260–700), 30–2050 | 300 (200–400), 30–450 | 700 (560–980), 460–2050 | – |
Responders’ role, na | ||||
 Physician specialized in pediatrics | 139 (65) | 81 (69) | 58 (59) | 0.316 |
 Physician specialized in anesthesiology | 62 (29) | 32 (27) | 30 (31) |  |
 Physician specialized in general and cardiac critical ICU | 44 (21) | 19 (16) | 25 (26) |  |
 Nurse | 20 (9) | 18 (7) | 12 (12) |  |
 Physician specialized in Surgery | 4 (2) | 0 (0) | 4 (4) |  |
Presence of internal protocol for analgesia and sedation | 152 (71) | 90 (77) | 62 (63) | 0.028 |
Use of a nurse driven protocol for analgesia and sedation (n = 152) | 57 (38) | 29 (25) | 28 (29) | 0.531 |
Nurse role in the protocol (n = 57 | 29 | 28) | ||||
 Choice of the drug dosage | 48 (84) | 24 (83) | 24 (86) | 0.785 |
 Choice of the time of drug weaning | 45 (79) | 23 (79) | 22 (79) | |
 Choice of the mode of drug weaning | 26 (46) | 14 (48) | 12 (43) | |
 Choice of the type of drug for analgesia and sedation | 22 (39) | 14 (48) | 8 (29) |