Exploring the experiences of siblings who visit a critically ill brother or sister in the paediatric intensive care unit: The PICU-Sib’s study
Project Background: Each year, approximately 13,000 children are admitted to a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in Australia. This critical illness and subsequent admission to an ICU has significant impacts upon all members of the family, including the child’s siblings. However, at present there is almost no global evidence about siblings’ experiences and very few resources available for parents and staff to support siblings through their visiting experience. There are currently no published guidelines on supporting siblings in the ICU. It is vital that this experience is understood, so that we can develop resources that are tailored to the unique needs and experiences of siblings in the ICU. This will help ensure that visiting a critically ill brother or sister is not a traumatic experience but rather an opportunity to continue to strengthen the unique sibling relationship.
Project Aims: This project will aim to answer the following questions: 1. What do sibling visits to paediatric intensive care units in Australia currently look like? 2. What do Australian PICU visitation policies say about family and sibling visitation, and what impacts do these policies have? 3. What is it like for siblings (and their parents) when they visit their brother or sister in the PICU?
Dr Ashleigh E Butler, Lecturer and Graduate Research Coordinator, La Trobe University.
Email: a.butler@latrobe.edu.au
Phone: (03) 9496 4465