Pediatric anesthesia & critical care
Changes in Academic Standardized Testing After Pediatric Intensive Care
Authors' conclusion
This study suggests that PICU patients were less likely to take standardized tests after discharge and that those who did had greater decreases in reading scores relative to matched controls.
Study context
- Population
- School-aged children admitted to the only pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in Arkansas, January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2018
- Participants
- 1,088 PICU patients
- Comparison
- PICU patients vs propensity-matched non-PICU-exposed control students
- PICUn = 1,088
- Outcome
- (1) Return to standardized testing (standardized test within 2 years after PICU admission); (2) change in pre-PICU to post-PICU test scores vs propensity-matched controls
- Follow-up
- 2 years after PICU admission
Methodological detailspropensity score matched, statewide academic data, Statistical analysis March 2024 to September 2025
- Propensity score matched
- Statewide academic data
- Statistical analysis March 2024 to September 2025
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Return to standardized testing within 2 years after PICU admission; change in pre- to post-PICU test z scores
PICU vs ControlsAdjusted odds ratio (95% CI)
Math test after admission
0.64(0.51–0.81)
Reading test after admission
0.64(0.51–0.82)
PICU vs ControlsDifference (95% CI)
Adjusted pre-post change in reading score; small but significant decrease
−0.07(−0.14 to −0.01)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
PICU patients' preadmission z scores vs Arkansas students in same grade and year
- Math z score (below average)
- −0.23 (95% CI, −0.29 to −0.16)
- Reading z score (below average)
- −0.22 (95% CI, −0.29 to −0.15)
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
Changes in Academic Standardized Testing After Pediatric Intensive Care. JAMA Netw Open. Published 1 April 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →