Adverse Childhood Experiences and Social Determinants of Health in Relation to Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Admissions

This literature review was conducted in order to examine the correlation between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), social determinants of health and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admissions. Oftentimes, those admitted as patients in the PICU come from homes in which social determinants of health, such as poverty and lack of access to healthcare, and ACEs, such as abuse and neglect, are prevalent. Systematic studies of existing literature and experience in the hospital setting revealed the ways in which these conditions often cause children to reach such poor health conditions that they must be admitted to the PICU. In order to reduce the rate of hospitalizations due to ACEs and social determinants of health, more research needs to be done pertaining to this particular topic, as it is broad and a relatively new study. To begin, however, the public must be educated on the importance of healthcare and ways they can begin to practice preventive medicine in their daily lives in order to identify ACEs and negative social determinants of health so that action may be taken before these situations become so dire that a child must be hospitalized