PICU Follow-Up: The Impact of Missed School in a Cohort of Children Following PICU Admission

For children and their families, PICU admission can be one of the most stressful and traumatic experiences in their lives. Children admitted to the PICU and their parents experience sequelae following admission including psychologic symptoms and lower health-related quality of life. The impact of a PICU admission on school attendance and performance may influence these sequelae. The purpose of our study was to examine how community supports from pediatricians and schools influence school success after critical illness. DESIGN: Parents were recruited during their child’s admission to the PICU. Three months after discharge, parents completed follow-up questionnaires via telephone. SETTING: PICU in an urban academic children's hospital. SUBJECTS: Thirty-three parents were enrolled in the study, and 21 (64%) completed phone follow-up. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Forty-three percent of children missed 7 or more days of school while admitted to the PICU. Sixty-seven percent of parents reported that their pediatrician did not ask about missed school, and 29% felt their child’s grades worsened since admission. Twenty percent of respondents felt that their child’s school did not provide adequate services to help their child catch up. CONCLUSIONS: There are missed opportunities for care coordination and educational support after critical illness. The transition back to school is challenging for some children, as reported by parents who described inadequate support from the school after PICU hospitalization and a subsequent decline in their child’s school performance. Additional studies are needed to develop proactive community supports to improve the transition back to school for a child after critical illness.