The impact of critical incidents in paediatric hospitals: a review.

Literature addressing critical incidents involving hospitalised children is reviewed and circumstances that produce critical incidents are discussed. It is argued that critical incidents often have a major impact on children and their families and on staff, and particularly nursing staff, in paediatric intensive care and burns, oncology and emergency units. Some strategies for assisting children, families and staff to cope with severe trauma, life-threatening illness and death in paediatric hospitals are presented.