Clinical service needs and outcomes for older children and adolescents in intensive care: a narrative review
Year: 2026
Type: review
Abstract: Adolescents and young adults represent an understudied population in intensive care with limited evidence to guide clinical practice and service design. The absence of a universally accepted age definition has led to aggregation of this group with paediatric and adult cohorts in both adult and paediatric critical care research. Adolescents and young adults have distinct admission characteristics, organ support requirements and outcomes compared with older and younger patients, with a broad spectrum of pathology from chronic congenital and genetic disease to acute acquired illnesses and trauma. This population also poses operational challenges for intensive care as they occupy the interface between adult and paediatric critical care services which have traditionally been organised separately with distinct training pathways, equipment, guidelines and expertise. This review synthesises evidence on the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, interventions and outcomes for this population in both adult and paediatric intensive care and identifies key areas for improvement in existing evidence, clinical practice and service delivery.
Source: BMJ Paediatrics Open
Authors: Gillian Crowe, Martina Healy
Institutions: Trinity College Dublin, Children's Health Ireland at Crumlin
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7224377576