Welcome to the Pediatric Intensive Care Core Outcome Set Project!
What is the Pediatric Intensive Care Core Outcome Set (COS)?
The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Core Outcome Set (COS) is an international, multi-stakeholder and evidence-informed COS for clinical and research use in pediatric critical illness. Core outcome sets are defined as “a patient outcome, health‐related condition, or aspects of health that relevant stakeholders agree are essential to assess in all clinical research studies evaluating outcomes.” The PICU COS serves as a guide to assure that outcomes most important to all stakeholders are considered in PICU clinical research or clinical care programs.
How was the PICU COS Developed?
A Scoping Review of the PICU literature and prospective family interviews were conducted to gather information about outcomes used in the literature and those important to families. These outcomes were evaluated by research, clinical, and family/advocate stakeholders (333 invited) in a two-round modified Delphi electronic survey. Outcomes that met a priori criteria were evaluated and the final COS elements certified by the Steering Committee.
COS Tools
PICU COS and PICU COS-E are available for use.
Find the tools to best support your project here.
PICU Core Outcome Set (COS)
The PICU COS represents key outcomes to evaluate in a research project or program that includes children with critical illness.
PICU Core Outcome Set - Extended (COS-E)
The COS-E features additional outcomes noted to be especially important by family/advocacy stakeholders but did not meet overall criteria. These outcomes should also be considered in a research project or program that includes children with critical illness.
PICU Core Outcome Set - Combined (COS and COS-E)
This table combines the COS with the COS-E outcomes to provide the complete set of outcomes found to be important by family, clinical, and research stakeholders for implementation in a research project or program that includes children with critical illness.
Click here for the Combined COS and COS-E color version
Click here for the Combined COS and COS-E black and white version
PICU Core Outcome Measurements (COMS) Coming Soon!
The COMS will be a recommended set of instruments both clinicians and researchers can use to assess a patient with regard to a specific outcome domain.
Once this phase of our project is complete you can return here for our COMS tables:
Click here for the COMS color version
Click here for the COMS black and white version
COS Additional Information
Here you can find links to manuscripts published about or related to the PICU COS.
A Core Outcome Set for Pediatric Critical Care
This is our flagship publication! Rationale, methods, results, and discussion of the PICU COS and PICU COS-E!
Post-Discharge Outcome Domains in Pediatric Critical Care and the Instruments Used to Evaluate Them: A Scoping Review
A discussion and review of historic PICU study outcomes and the instruments used to measure these outcomes.
This manuscript details the steps our research team took to understand the depth and breadth of prior research in pediatric critical care to inform the development of a contemporary core outcome set.
Development of a Core Outcome Set for Pediatric Critical Care Outcomes Research
This manuscript details the methods used to develop the multistakeholder-informed PICU COS and COS-Extended.
It’ll Forever Impact His Life: Parents’ Experiences With Caring for a Critically Ill Child
This manuscript discusses the findings from in-depth interviews with parents whose child has experienced critical illness about life and adjustments after returning home.
The abstract for this manuscript is currently available here.
Evaluation of COS Domains
This series of manuscripts discuss the best measures for evaluating the domain of outcomes associated with the COS.
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Evaluation of Overall Health Measures Following Pediatric Critical Illness
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Scoping Review: Evaluation of Neurocognitive Outcomes after Critical Illness in Children
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Scoping Review: Measuring Social Reintegration following Pediatric Critical Illness
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Health-related Quality of Life Outcome Measurement Following Pediatric Critical Care: A Scoping Review
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Emotional and Behavioral Outcome Measurement in Pediatric Critical Care Survivorship Research: A Scoping Review
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Outcome Measures Following Critical Illness in Children with Disabilities
(This manuscript series is currently being finalized and links to each manuscript will be added here as they are published.)
The Core of Pediatric Critical Care Research
A strong editorial endorsement of the potential and value of the PICU COS program from Alice D. Ackerman, MD, MBA, MCCM