The PIES Study

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Feeding and survivorship outcomes in previously healthy young Paediatric Intensive Care survivors

  • IRAS ID

    279171

  • Contact name

    Anne-Sophie Darlington

  • Contact email

    a.darlington@soton.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    Reseach and Innovation Services

  • Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

    CHI1054, Southampton R&D

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    3 years, 3 months, 24 days

  • Research summary

    Do young children (aged 4 years old or less) who get admitted to children’s intensive care, develop feeding difficulties?

    An admission to children’s intensive care can be very traumatic for both the young child and their families. During their stay, children have many unpleasant and sometimes painful experiences. Some of these involve the mouth and nose, as tubes for breathing and feeding need to be passed. As a result of these experiences, some young children seem to refuse to eat and drink normally once they are better. We do not know how many children are affected or how this impacts families once they are home. We have heard from parents who say that getting their baby or young child to eat and drink after they have been very ill can be very difficult.

    We have spoken to parents/caregivers of young children who have spent time in children’s intensive care and used this information to develop a set of questionnaires. These questionnaires will be part of a large survey used to follow-up families. Questionnaires will be given to parents/caregivers when their child is ready to leave intensive care and then at 1, 3 and 6 months after the have left. We would also like to interview some families during this time to ask them what it is like to look after their child since their stay in children’s intensive care.

    This research is being run from Southampton Children’s Hospital over a 12-month period. Over 300 families will be invited to take part from hospitals all over the United Kingdom. It is hoped that the results of this study will help health care professionals and researchers understand and better support families with young children who spend some time in children’s intensive care in the future.

  • REC name

    Yorkshire & The Humber - South Yorkshire Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    20/YH/0160

  • Date of REC Opinion

    19 May 2020

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion