[en] Background. The patients hospitalized in pediatric intensive care units (PICU) and neonatal ones (NICU) often suffer from respiratory type complications, such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) or acute respiratory infection (ARI), that obstruct their recovery process, increase the number of hospitalization days and cause the appearance of long term chronic diseases. Taking this into consideration, the service of respiratory Physiotherapy in these units would be key to reduce the level of morbidity, the hospital stay and the health care costs, by contributing to the prevention and treatment of these possible respiratory complications. However, the professional physiotherapist is not a part of the interdisciplinary team that forms these units, and is considered instead support staff linked to other units of the hospital. Nowadays, the real situation of Physiotherapy and the professional physiotherapist specialised in pediatrics is still unknown in this field of healthcare, something proven by the unavailability of research about it and also scientific evidence and clinical practice guidelines. Objetive. The objective of the present research is to describe and analyze the level of implementation of pediatric respiratory Physiotherapy in the PICU and NICU of our country. Methods. In order to answer the question behind this investigation and to fulfill its objectives, a survey made up by 23 items was conducted, corresponding to the three dimensions: descriptive, assistance and academic. The survey will allow us to describe the context of these units, meaning what type of units they are and what is their organization, as well as verify the presence of the physiotherapy service, its assistance characteristics and which is the specific training of the professional physiotherapists linked to these units. After going through a process of inner validation, being examined by different experts in the subject, it will be sent to each PICU and NICU.

[gl] Introdución. Os pacientes ingresados nas unidades de coidados intensivos pediátricas (UCIP) e neonatais (UCIN) sofren con frecuencia complicacións de tipo respiratorio, como a displasia broncopulmonar (DBP) e as infeccións respiratorias agudas (IRA), que obstaculizan o seu proceso de recuperación, aumentan os días de hospitalización, e provocan a aparición de patoloxías crónicas a longo prazo. Tendo en conta isto, o servizo de Fisioterapia respiratoria nestas unidades sería clave para reducir o grao de morbilidade, a estancia hospitalaria e os custos sanitarios, ao contribuír na prevención e tratamento destas posibles complicacións respiratorias. Porén, o profesional fisioterapeuta non forma parte do equipo interdisciplinar destas unidades, senón que é considerado como persoal de soporte vinculado a outras unidades do hospital. Actualmente descoñécese cal é a situación real da Fisioterapia e do profesional fisioterapeuta especializado en pediatría neste ámbito da sanidade, posto que non se atoparon estudos ao respecto, nin tampouco evidencia científica nin guías de práctica clínica. Obxectivo. O obxectivo do presente estudo é describir e analizar o grao de implantación da Fisioterapia Respiratoria pediátrica nas UCIN e UCIP do noso país. Metodoloxía. Para dar resposta á pregunta de investigación e aos obxectivos establecidos, elaborouse unha enquisa formada por 23 ítems, que corresponden a tres dimensións: descritiva, asistencial e académica. A enquisa permitirá describir o contexto destas unidades, é dicir, que tipo de unidades son e cal é a súa organización, así como comprobar a presenza do servizo de Fisioterapia, as súas características asistencias e cal é a formación específica dos profesionais fisioterapeutas vinculados a estas unidades. Tras pasar un proceso de validación interna, sendo revisada por diversos expertos nacionais na materia, será enviada a cada unha das UCIP e UCIN.