A Cross-sectional Survey of Levels of Care and Response Mechanisms for Evolving Critical Illness in Hospitalized Children

OBJECTIVES: Recognition and treatment of evolving critical illness is a fundamental element of hospital care. Hospital systems should triage patients to receive appropriate levels of care. We describe here the levels of care, the frequency of near or actual cardiopulmonary arrest (code-blue events), identification mechanisms, and responses to evolving critical illness in hospitalized children. METHODS: A cross-sectional telephone survey of …