Withdrawn study - The study on paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) was originally planned as part of a series of reports on hospital capacity and paediatric care. However, after several reorganisations and the publication of studies on closely related topics (e.g. KCE Report 358 on the organisation of paediatric hospital care), a separate study on PICUs no longer appeared necessary.
This decision was based on the following factors:
- A systematic review of available literature is unlikely to provide consistent and reliable evidence to recommend centralisation of intensive care in PICUs.
- A descriptive analysis of PICUs in Belgium is already included in other published and ongoing KCE studies. A more in-depth analysis would require additional data (e.g. clinical parameters) that are not available in the existing sources (MZG/RHM – Minimum Hospital Data Set).
- KCE report 358 showed that RSV infections caused increased pressure on paediatric wards. Vaccination of infants against RSV is reimbursed in Belgium since June 2024, and vaccination of pregnant women against RSV (to protect their babies in the months following birth) since January 2025. A national study is currently underway to measure the impact of this vaccination on hospital admissions.
Conclusion:
Due to the unavailability of certain data, the existence of previous analyses and the current uncertainties about the impact of RSV vaccination, the planned PICU study is removed from the programme. Should future data on RSV vaccination provide new evidence, a new study proposal might be considered.
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