What is PICANet?

Paediatric Intensive Care Audit Network (PICANet) is an audit database recording details of the treatment of all critically ill children in paediatric intensive care units (PICUs). We have now expanded to include two sites in Dublin - Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin and The Children's University Hospital, Temple Street and also joined by Harley Street Clinic in London.

PICANet was established in 2002 by the Universities of Leeds, Leicester and Sheffield with the support of the paediatric intensive care community.
To understand why PICANet was established and why it is a valuable resource, please see our annual report

How is PICANet funded?

Funding is provided by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) www.hqip.org.uk, Health Commission Wales Specialised Services, NHS Lothian / National Service Division NHS Scotland, The Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children and Our Lady's Childrens Hospital, Dublin.

What is the aim of PICANet?

PICANet was established to develop and maintain a secure and confidential high quality clinical database of paediatric intensive care activity in order to:

• Identify best clinical practice
• Monitor supply and demand
• Monitor and review outcomes of treatment episodes
• Facilitate healthcare planning and quantify resource requirements
• Study the epidemiology of critical illness in children

The core dataset of demographic and clinical data on all admissions, collated by PICANet, allows comparison of PICU activity at a local level with national benchmarks. This dataset provides an important evidence base on outcomes, processes and structures that permits planning for future practice, research and interventions.