A parents' perspective on the pediatric intensive care unit: our family's journey.

The pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) can be an intimidating and frightening place for parents and family members of critically ill children. Most parents experience a loss of control and feelings of utter helplessness. Many PICUs are working with family members to improve the quality of care provided through patient- and family-centered care, which is in fact 1 of the 6 tenets of the Institute of Medicine's definition of quality health care.