Undergraduate section
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SSC 45: Transporting critically ill children between hospitals.
Aims and objectives
The centralised nature of paediatric intensive care means that children who are critically ill need to be transferred from the hospitals where they present to the hospital where intensive acre is to be provided. Transferring these patients raises a number of challenges, and specialised teams have eveolved to provide this 'retrieval service'.
Method of study
You are expected to use literature searching skills to discover why this model of PICU has eveloved, and how the local retrieval service operates. I will help support you in finding out how the service operates in other units in the United Kingdom. You are encouraged to talk to members of the retrieval team, and hopefully accompany them on a retrieval.
Assessment
There will be a final written report produced (2000 words), summarising the evolution of PICU as a service nationally, outlining why retrieval teams are integral to the specialty, and describing the strengths and weaknesses of the model used in South Wales. In addition to learning about some of the clinical challenges of critically ill children, this project will outline how the health service is organised, and how new specialties develop.