1 Emergency/ICU/Inpatient Medical Services, East Tennessee Children's Hospital, Knoxville, TN
In Reply.
The discussion by Dr Pollack et al about objective analysis of ICU resources is useful to all pediatricians. Objective analysis may be especially helpful in individual case discussions when a physician's fears about one or more patients seem to be excessive and result in inappropriate utilization of high-cost care. Former stressful experiences of the physician or of the patient and family with the specific medical disorder, within a health care institution, or with one another may result in a disproportionate anxiety and sense of threat not easily soothed by simple reassurance.