Table 1 Child characteristics and NNU/PICU admission information based on parent interview accounts

Child age at hospital admission (or birth)

Median 29 weeks of gestation (range: 24–41 weeks)

Median 8-month old (range 3 weeks–12 years)

Days in unit

Median 21 (range: 1–140, missing n=1)

Median 8 (range 2–72)

Days in hospital

Median 57 (range: 7–152)

Median 39 (range 3–196)

Days on feeding tube

Median 58 (range: 2–210)

Median 127.5 (range: 5–547)

Days on breathing support

Median 56 (range: 0–370)

Median 6 days (range 0–168)

Main reason for admittance

Prematurity (n=18)

Meconium aspiration syndrome (n=1)

Heart conditions, e.g. congenital heart defect, hyperplastic left heart (n=4)

Sepsis (n=2)

Reconstruction of airway (n=1) Complications linked to chronic conditions, e.g. holoprosencephaly, Noonan’s syndrome, prematurity (n=3)