Improve Caregiver Experience Around Pediatric Intensive Care Unit to Acute Care Transfer

Monday, March 23, 2026

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM Central Time

Location: Connections Central - RST 09

Aneliese R. Doran, MD (she/her/hers)

Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pennsylvania

Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose.
KK

Katherine Keever, DO, MS

Resident Physician
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

Disclosure information not submitted.
MK

Madison Kavanaugh, MD

Fellow Physician
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

Disclosure information not submitted.
AD

Amanda M. Dave, MD, MS

T32 Postdoctoral Scholar, Clinical Instructor
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC

Disclosure information not submitted.
JP

Jamie Pattee, MD, MPH

Fellow Physician
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

Disclosure information not submitted.
EB

Elena Bucek, MSN, CRNP

N/A
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

Disclosure information not submitted.
JJ

Jessica Jarvis, PhD, MT-BC

Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
University of Pittsburgh

Disclosure information not submitted.
EF

Ericka Fink, MD, FCCM

UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Disclosure information not submitted.
SR

Sarah S. Rubin, MD, MsCI

Assistant Professor of Critical Care Medicine and Pediatrics
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

Disclosure information not submitted.

Introduction: The period of transfer from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) to the acute care floor is a known source of stress for caregivers. We aimed to identify specific transfer-related stressors that could inform targeted interventions to improve the caregiver experience during this transition.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey of caregivers for children transferred from the PICU to an acute care floor at a quaternary care children’s hospital from March-April 2024 and March-June 2025. Surveys were completed within 96 h of transfer; question domains included caregiver demographics, care delivery, perceived communication issues, and comfort with the transfer process. All patients leaving the PICU were screened each weekday. Caregivers were eligible if their child was admitted to the PICU > 24 h, had no limitations in care, and was transferred to any acute care floor. De-identified survey results were entered into a REDCap database. UPMC Quality Assurance approved this survey as a quality improvement project. Data were analyzed descriptively.

Results: Of 523 patients screened, 304 (58%) were eligible, 166/304 (55%) caregivers were approached and 130/166 (78%) completed the survey. Most respondents were female (78%), aged 30-49 years (67%), and identified as White (85%). The median length of stay prior to transfer was 2 days (IQR: 2-5). Issues most important to caregivers included being present for their child’s transfer (92%) and knowing the new room number prior to transfer (69%). Unexpected differences from PICU care included availability of the child’s floor nurse (21%) and doctors (14%), and change in frequency of vital sign monitoring (14%). Approximately half of respondents felt PICU clinician check-in after transfer (53%) and an educational document about PICU transfer (49%) would be helpful to reduce stress.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest setting clear expectations around PICU to acute care floor transfer may reduce caregiver stress and improve their care experience. A PICU clinician check-in and a pre-transfer handout outlining the process and unit differences represent promising opportunities to support caregivers during this transition.