Expanding pediatric services to include adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sara Gandora, Nicole Robbins, David Mulkey
PMID 36707148WHAT IT FOUND
Pediatric units safely managed 88 adults aged 19 to 33 during a surge.
Average stay was 4.17 days. No rapid responses were called and adverse safety events did not significantly change.
Key findings
01A total of 88 adult patients were admitted to the pediatric unit between November 2020 and August 2021.
02All adults admitted had a low risk of clinical deterioration and no rapid responses were called.
03The number of adverse safety events did not change significantly after the project implementation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The project was context-driven and may not generalize to other institutions. There was a biased sampling method with no random admission. No comparison group was available because data from the adult acute care division was inaccessible. Clinically complex patients were likely excluded during screening, which may have influenced safety outcomes. The study did not assess pediatric nurses' concerns regarding safety and preparedness.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this as evidence that pediatric staff can safely care for all adults. The study specifically selected younger adults (mostly under 30) with diagnoses and equipment needs similar to children, and excluded complex conditions like dialysis or GI bleeds. The safety outcomes may reflect this selective patient population rather than the capability of pediatric staff to manage general adult inpatients.